Maruo Onsen
Maruo Onsen is a hot spring town in Kagoshima, Japan. The water leaves the ground at 36–80°C, hot enough that it has to be cooled before anyone can get in. Officially the water is classed as chloride spring and sulfur spring.
Getting there
- Train to Kirishima-Jingū Station (JR)
- Local bus, about 15 min
The water here
Chloride spring
Salty water. The salt leaves a thin film on the skin, so you stay warm well after leaving the bath.
Sulfur spring
The classic rotten-egg smell and milky white water. It can tarnish silver jewellery, so take it off.
More photographs
From Wikimedia Commons. Tap a photo for the photographer and licence.
Things to see nearby
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.
Where to stay
Hot spring towns nearby
Similar water elsewhere
The numbers
- Water temperature
- 36–80°C
- Address in Japanese
- 鹿児島県霧島市牧園町
Figures from the town's Japanese Wikipedia article.
Where it is
31.8963, 130.8305 — open the map
Read more
Planning a first soak? Read how an onsen stay works, and what to do if you have tattoos.