Photo: WebGroup · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Makubetsu Onsen

Hokkaido · 幕別温泉

Makubetsu Onsen is a hot spring town in Hokkaido, Japan. The water leaves the ground at 47–49°C, hot. It measures pH 8.6 — mildly alkaline, the slippery kind. Officially the water is classed as chloride spring. 2 inns take visitors here.

Getting there

From Sapporoabout 3½ h

CarNot needed

JR PassCovers the train

Train to Obihiro Station (JR)
Local bus, about 25 min

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

Chloride 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.

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 — Hokkaido Inns with a private bath — Hokkaido