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Photo: ja:User:Sanjo · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Hitoyoshi Onsen

Kumamoto · 人吉温泉

Hitoyoshi Onsen is a hot spring town in Kumamoto, Japan. Officially the water is classed as simple spring and bicarbonate spring.

Getting there

From Fukuokaabout 2 h
CarNot needed
JR PassCovers the train
  1. Train to Hitoyoshi Station (JR)
  2. A short walk

Fly into Fukuoka. Times are rough estimates worked out from station locations, not a timetable — check the exact route on Google Maps.

Simple springBicarbonate spring

The water here

Simple spring 単純温泉

Mild and low in dissolved minerals. Usually clear and gentle on the skin, which is why these baths are often recommended for first-timers.

Bicarbonate spring 炭酸水素塩泉

Smooth, slightly slippery water. Often nicknamed bihada-no-yu, the water for beautiful skin.

Things to see nearby

Hitoyoshi CastleCastle · 0.9 km
Aoi Aso ShrineShrine · 0.4 kmKaname FallsWaterfall · 6.3 km

Places from Wikidata, photographs from Wikimedia Commons. Distances are in a straight line from the town.

With tattoos

Many public baths still turn away visible tattoos, and the rule is set by each bath, not by the town. The reliable way round it is to bathe privately: a room with its own open-air bath, or an inn with a private bath you can book for yourselves.

Rooms with an open-air bath — Hitoyoshi CityInns with a private bath — Kumamoto

More on tattoos and onsen

Where to stay

Onsen inns — Hitoyoshi City

Opens Rakuten Travel, which lists inns in English. Onsen Guide earns a commission if you book through these links, at no extra cost to you.

Hot spring towns nearby

Yunōra OnsenKumamoto · 湯浦温泉25.2 km west
Simple spring
Yunō OnsenKagoshima · 湯之尾温泉26.8 km south
Bicarbonate spring
Kurinodake OnsenKagoshima · 栗野岳温泉28.8 km south
Sulfate spring+4
Hinagu OnsenKumamoto · 日奈久温泉30 km northwest
Simple spring
Yunotsuru OnsenKumamoto · 湯の鶴温泉30.8 km west
Sulfur spring
Ebino Highland Hot springMiyazaki · えびの高原温泉30.9 km south
Bicarbonate spring

Similar water elsewhere

Towns further away with the same kind of water — useful if this one is hard to reach or fully booked.

Fukuji OnsenGifu · 福地温泉Also simple and bicarbonate
Simple springBicarbonate spring
Kyōtotakenosato OnsenKyoto · 京都竹の郷温泉Also simple and bicarbonate
Simple springBicarbonate spring
Tado OnsenMie · 多度温泉Also simple and bicarbonate
Simple springBicarbonate spring
Nagashima OnsenMie · 長島温泉Also simple and bicarbonate
Simple spring+2
TobaonsengōMie · 鳥羽温泉郷Also simple and bicarbonate
Simple spring+2
Yokomuki OnsenFukushima · 横向温泉Also simple and bicarbonate
Simple spring+2

The numbers

Address in Japanese
熊本県人吉市

Figures from the town's Japanese Wikipedia article.

Where it is

32.2140, 130.7574 — open the map

Read more

Japanese Wikipedia

Planning a first soak? Read how an onsen stay works, and what to do if you have tattoos.