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Awa Onsen

Chiba · 安房温泉

Awa Onsen is a hot spring town in Chiba, Japan. The water leaves the ground at 18.3°C, cool enough that the baths here are usually reheated. It measures pH 7.3 — close to neutral. Officially the water is classed as chloride spring and bicarbonate spring. 4 inns take visitors here.

Getting there

From Tokyoabout 1½ h
CarNot needed
JR PassCovers the train
  1. Train to Awa-Katsuyama Station (JR)
  2. Walk, about 7 min

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

Chloride springBicarbonate spring

The water here

Chloride spring 塩化物泉

Salty water. The salt leaves a thin film on the skin, so you stay warm well after leaving the bath.

Bicarbonate spring 炭酸水素塩泉

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

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 — Chiba

More on tattoos and onsen

Where to stay

Onsen inns — Kyonan Town

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Similar water elsewhere

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

Hoshino OnsenNagano · 星野温泉Also bicarbonate and chloride, similar pH
Chloride springBicarbonate spring
Shoya OnsenNagano · 初谷温泉Also bicarbonate and chloride, similar pH
Chloride springBicarbonate spring
Chūgū OnsenIshikawa · 中宮温泉Also bicarbonate and chloride, similar pH
Chloride springBicarbonate spring
Asahi OnsenHokkaido · 旭温泉Also bicarbonate and chloride, similar pH
Chloride springBicarbonate spring
Aso OnsenMie · 阿曽温泉Also bicarbonate and chloride, similar pH
Chloride springBicarbonate spring
Okumizuma OnsenOsaka · 奥水間温泉Also bicarbonate and chloride, similar pH
Chloride springBicarbonate spring

The numbers

Water temperature
18.3°C
pH
7.3 (close to neutral)
Inns
4
Address in Japanese
千葉県安房郡鋸南町竜島

Figures from the town's Japanese Wikipedia article.

Read more

Japanese Wikipedia

Other towns in Chiba

Kameyama OnsenChiba · 亀山温泉
Chloride spring+2
Shirako OnsenChiba · 白子温泉
Chloride springIodine spring
Yōrō-keikoku OnsenChiba · 養老渓谷温泉
Chloride springBicarbonate spring
Inubōsaki OnsenChiba · 犬吠埼温泉
Chloride spring
Kamogawa OnsenkyōChiba · 鴨川温泉郷
Chloride spring+2
Shirahama OnsenChiba · 白浜温泉
Chloride spring+2
Katsūra OnsenChiba · 勝浦温泉
Chloride spring
Chikura OnsenChiba · 千倉温泉
Chloride springSulfur spring

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