Photo: Drph17 · CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Kira Onsen

Niigata · 雲母温泉

Kira Onsen is a hot spring town in Niigata, Japan. The water leaves the ground at 62°C, hot. It measures pH 7.2 — close to neutral. Officially the water is classed as chloride spring and sulfate spring. Its sources put out around 215 litres a minute. 3 inns take visitors here with room for about 180 guests. About 4,623 people a year come to bathe.

Getting there

From Tokyoabout 3½ h

CarNot needed

JR PassCovers the train

Train to Echigo-Shimoseki Station (JR)
A short walk

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 springSulfate 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.

Sulfate spring 硫酸塩泉

Clear water with a faintly bitter taste. Known for holding heat.

More photographs

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

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.

Inns with a private bath — Niigata