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Secret hot spring onsen in Japan is a hidden gem waiting to be discovered by tourists

Oona McGee Nov 6, 2024
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Soak all your troubles away at this riverside oasis.

Japan’s island of Kyushu often gets overlooked by a lot of overseas tourists to Japan, but it’s a place that deserves to be on your itinerary, with hidden gems and off-the-beaten-path discoveries you won’t find anywhere else.

One highlight is a stop in Hita City, a site so steeped in history and culture it’s known as the “Little Kyoto of Kyushu“. Developed as the political, economic, and cultural centre of Kyushu during the Edo period (1603-1868), as a “tenryo” (land under the direct control of the Shogunate), Hita has today become sacred ground for fans of the anime Attack on Titan, as it’s the hometown of Hajime Isayama, the manga artist behind the popular series.

▼ Hita is just over an hour away by car and train from Fukuoka Airport in Hakata, where you’ll be greeted by giant sushi on the luggage carousel.

Hita is on the way to popular tourist sites and onsen hotspots Beppu and Yufuin, making it a great place to add to your travels. There’s a lot of idyllic scenery to enjoy here, especially at Hoshuyama Station on the JR Kyushu Hitahikosan Line, which is known as a “県境駅” (“Kenkyuu eki” or “Prefectural Border Station”) as the station platform spans the border of Fukuoka Prefecture and Oita Prefecture.

That’s not the only local secret you’ll find here, as we were recently tipped off to a beautiful hot spring onsen facility just a 10-minute drive from Hita Station, in an area south of the city centre that feels like an unexplored region. As you continue along the Takase River in Oita Prefecture, you’ll come across a signboard with “Kotohira Onsen” printed on it, and shortly after this you’ll arrive at the secret destination.

▼ Yume Sansui.

This is both an inn and day-use onsen facility, so if you’re visiting on a daytrip, you can pay the bathing fee to enter at the retro-looking reception booth. Adults (junior high school students and older) pay 800 yen (US$5.25), while children (4 years old to elementary school students) pay 400 yen. There are also a total of 16 “Family Baths” that can be reserved for private use at a rate of 2,000-2,500 yen per bath for 60 minutes.

Our reporter Masanuki Sunakoma was lucky enough to visit the onsen, opting to dip into the open-air outdoor bath for men. There are changing rooms on either side of the curtain after you step through the gate to the men’s outdoor bathing area, and that’s because you’ll find two different open-air baths here — “Norari-yu” on the left and “Aun-no-yu” on the right.

This setup meant Masanuki ended up walking stark naked past the entrance gate when he made his way from Norari-yu on the left to Aun-no-yu , as indicated by the red line below.

Of course, bathers cover their front bits with a small towel as they move about, and Masanuki did too, but when he visited he was the only one there so he didn’t have to feel embarrassed. Although he could’ve changed in and out of his clothes in the change rooms, he preferred to avoid the hassle by hotfooting it from one bath to the next, and as the area behind the gate is meant to be for men only, he felt safe enough to walk quickly between the two outdoor bathing areas.

Whether you walk between the two baths in your birthday suit or choose to change in between, you’ll definitely want to visit both of them, as they’re blessed with the most beautiful riverside scenery.

You can fully enjoy the great nature of Hita from these baths, including the sound of the river as it passes by. The quality of the spring water is fantastic, and the soft, moist water feels great on the skin.

While the photos above show “Norari-yu”, “Aun-no-yu”, which faces downstream, sits much closer to the river as it’s located directly next to it. The open-air bath there sits at the same height as the surface of the river, making for a truly remarkable experience, even for an experienced bather like Masanuki, who rated it as a memory that will stay with him forever.

Masanuki imagines that soaking in these baths at night would be even more romantic, but he personally preferred his daytime visit. However, if you do have a night to spare when visiting Kyushu, he highly recommends staying at the attached inn, so you can fully enjoy the baths at your leisure, before continuing on to enjoy all the hidden gems Oita has to offer.

Onsen information

Kotohira Onsen Yume Sansui / 琴ひら温泉ゆめ山水
Address: Oita-ken, Hita-shi, Kotohira-cho 1571-1
大分県日田市琴平町1571-1
Bathing times: 12:00 p.m.-8:45 p.m. (weekdays); 11:00 a.m.-9:00 p.m. (Sat, Sun, and holidays, please see website for details)
Website

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