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Nitchū Onsen

Fukushima · 日中温泉

Nitchū Onsen is a hot spring town in Fukushima, Japan. The water leaves the ground at 40°C, comfortably warm. Officially the water is classed as bicarbonate spring. Its sources put out around 56 litres a minute.

Getting there

From Tokyoabout 3½ h
CarNot needed
JR PassCovers the train
  1. Train to Kitakata Station (JR)
  2. Local bus

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

Bicarbonate spring

The water here

Bicarbonate spring 炭酸水素塩泉

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

More photographs

From Wikimedia Commons. Tap a photo for the photographer and licence.

Things to see nearby

Yonezawa CastleCastle · 24.8 km
Oguni-numa PondLake · 17 km
Mount NekomagadakeMountain · 19 km
Iide-san ShrineShrine · 11.6 km
Kitakata Kura no SatoMuseum · 11.8 km
ALTS Bandai Snow ResortSki area · 21.8 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 — FukushimaInns with a private bath — Fukushima

More on tattoos and onsen

Where to stay

Onsen inns — Kitakata 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

Atsushio OnsenFukushima · 熱塩温泉2.9 km southwest
Chloride spring
Ōshiōrabandai OnsenFukushima · 大塩裏磐梯温泉11.7 km southeast
Chloride spring
Wasezawa OnsenFukushima · 早稲沢温泉14.4 km east
Sulfate spring
Shirabu OnsenYamagata · 白布温泉19 km east
Chloride spring
Onogawa OnsenYamagata · 小野川温泉19.3 km northeast
Chloride springSulfur spring
Shintakayu OnsenYamagata · 新高湯温泉20.1 km east
Sulfate springSulfur spring

Similar water elsewhere

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

NakatsugawaonsenkuarizōtoyubunesawaGifu · 中津川温泉クアリゾート湯舟沢Also bicarbonate
Bicarbonate spring
Yunotai OnsenHokkaido · 湯ノ岱温泉Also bicarbonate
Bicarbonate spring
Tsumagoi OnsenGunma · 嬬恋温泉Also bicarbonate
Bicarbonate spring
Takamine OnsenNagano · 高峰温泉Also bicarbonate
Bicarbonate spring
Toyoshina OnsenNagano · 豊科温泉Also bicarbonate
Bicarbonate spring
Hirado OnsenNagasaki · 平戸温泉Also bicarbonate
Bicarbonate spring

The numbers

Water temperature
40°C
Discharge
56 litres a minute
Address in Japanese
福島県喜多方市熱塩加納町

Figures from the town's Japanese Wikipedia article.

Where it is

37.7516, 139.9056 — 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.