Hyotan Onsen

Locally knownKnown to people who live here. Not in the international guidebooks.

Researched and written by Hinato

Hyotan Onsentraditional bathwaterfall bathBeppubest onsen

Photo: Jordi Sanchez Teruel from Seúl, South Korea / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0) · original

Hyotan Onsen is one of the reasons Oita shows up on any list of Japan's onsen country.

Hyotan Onsen (ひょうたん温泉) is a family-operated bathhouse in Kannawa that has won 'Best Onsen in Japan' rankings multiple times in onsen enthusiast polls. The facility contains eight different bath types (indoor hot bath, lukewarm bath, outdoor waterfall bath, steam sauna, sand bath) all using the same source water at different temperatures. The baths are gender-separated traditional style, not mixed bathing.

What distinguishes Hyotan is the falls bath (taki-yu) — a powerful 1.5-meter waterfall of 42°C onsen water that provides natural massage when you sit beneath it.

Getting in the water

Hours

9:00 AM – 12:00 AM (last entry 11:00 PM)

Closed: Open year-round

Time to allow

2–3 hours for full bath circuit (waterfall bath, hot bath, lukewarm bath, steam sauna)

Bathing fee

¥800 adults (all-day re-entry with wristband). Sand bath +¥1,200. Towel rental ¥200.

Best time to visit

Year-round; evening (20:00–23:00) for quietest bathing atmosphere

Getting there

Directions to the baths

Beppu City. A bus from Beppu Station. Entry: ¥800 adults. Sand bath: +¥1,200. Towel rental ¥200.

Beyond the guidebook

**Bath circuit strategy:** Start with the falls bath (taki-yu) while your body is fresh — the waterfall pressure is intense and requires stamina. Progress to regular hot bath, then lukewarm bath, then finish with steam sauna or sand bath. The sequence prevents overheating. **Sand bath indoor version:** Hyotan's sand bath is indoors (unlike Shoningahama beach version) and smaller — only 4 people at a time. Less atmospheric than beach sand baths but more private. Book sand bath time at front desk on entry; popular times (11:00–14:00) may have 30-minute waits. **Repeat bathing:** The ¥800 entry allows unlimited re-entry on the same day if you keep your wristband. Some visitors do morning bath, leave for sightseeing, return for evening bath — maximizing the single admission price.

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