Kyushu · Minamioguni, Kumamoto

♨ Kurokawa Onsen

A quiet mountain village. Buy a wooden pass to hop between outdoor baths.

Quick facts

Location: Minamioguni, Kumamoto (Kyushu region)
Water type: Several spring types (simple, sulfur, chloride, sulfate, iron)
Tattoos: Check ahead with each bath
Directions: Open in Google Maps

About Kurokawa Onsen

A quiet village in a wooded valley near Aso. The ryokan are built in a matching rustic style and are famous for their outdoor baths. Buy a 'nyuto tegata' wooden pass (¥1,500) to visit three participating outdoor baths; it's good for six months. There's no train station, so come by bus from Fukuoka or Aso, or by car.

The water

Seven different spring types bubble up around the village: weakly acidic and weakly alkaline simple springs, sulphur, chloride, sulphate, hydrogen carbonate and iron springs. Each inn's water is different, which makes bath-hopping fun.

History

Kurokawa was once a struggling, little-known village. Its revival began when Tetsuya Goto, the third-generation owner of the Shinmeikan inn, dug a cave bath by hand. Other inns followed with outdoor baths and natural landscaping, and in 1986 the village launched the wooden 'nyuto tegata' bath pass.

Getting there

From: Fukuoka (Hakata)
Route: Direct highway bus from Hakata Bus Terminal
Time: about 2h35m
JR Pass: Not covered (highway bus).

Check current timetables and fares before you travel.

Famous for (meibutsu)

Basashi (food): Kumamoto's horse-meat sashimi
Nyuto tegata (craft): wooden bath pass that doubles as a keepsake
Akaushi beef (food): lean red wagyu from Aso

Plan your trip: tours & day trips near Kurokawa Onsen

Find Kurokawa Onsen tours on GetYourGuide

Affiliate note: some links on these pages are affiliate links. If you book or buy through them, NorthWest Wa may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only recommend things I'd suggest to a friend.

See it on the onsen map All 50 onsen Onsen how-to

← Shirahama – Sakinoyu · Nyuto Onsen – Tsurunoyu →