Ōita · Beppu Onsen
Hyotan Onsen
ひょうたん温泉
A large complex where you can try Kannawa's specialties — waterfall bath, sand bath and steam bath — in one place. It once earned three Michelin stars and is used to overseas guests. Many private family baths; tattooed visitors are directed to these. A restaurant serves hell-steamed dishes. Open until 1 am.
- Price (adult)
- ¥1,160
- Hours
- 09:00–01:00 (next day)
- Closed
- Open daily (occasional closures in Apr, Jul, Dec)
- Access
- Kamenoi Bus from Beppu to Kannawa-guchi, 5 min walk
- Water type
- Bicarbonate spring
- Tattoos
- Private baths only
- Admission
- Adults (13+) ¥1,160 / children 7–12 ¥400 / ages 4–6 ¥280 / under 3 free. 10-visit book ¥5,600 (holder only)
- Sand bath
- Sand-bath yukata rental (with shorts) ¥840 extra (children ¥540); sand-bath users may also use the main baths
- Private baths
- 14 rooms (8 indoor, 6 open-air, each with its own steam bath). 60 min ¥2,400 / 75 min ¥3,000 / 90 min ¥3,600 (up to 3 adults; extra adult ¥700, child ¥300)
- Spring / water
- Sodium-chloride spring, 100.4 °C at source, cooled to ~42 °C without dilution by the bamboo “Yumetake” cooling tower (registered utility model)
- Amenities / parking
- Shampoo & body soap provided; towel ¥250, bath-towel rental ¥200. Free parking for 80 cars and 5 coaches
- Phone
- 0977-66-0527
- Official site
- hyotan-onsen.com ↗
- Open in Google Maps
- Google Maps ↗
Essentials
Stay in this onsen town
Compare and book stays in Beppu Onsen. Day bathing itself needs no booking.
Opens partner booking site (affiliate)
Why go
- Waterfall, sand and steam baths
- Many private baths
- Open until 1 am
The only onsen facility with three Michelin stars
Founded in 1922 at the entrance to Kannawa, Hyotan Onsen is a free-flowing bath complex that has earned three Michelin Green Guide stars four times running — the only onsen facility in Japan to do so. Its signature is the bamboo “Yumetake” cooling tower, inspired by Ako salt fields, which drops the 100 °C+ source to about 42 °C in minutes without adding water. The mildly acidic salt spring feels like lotion on the skin.
The baths and how to enjoy them
- One indoor bath per side, open-air (1 men’s, 2 women’s), a “Takiyu” waterfall bath falling from 3 m, a steam bath heated by onsen vapour, a cypress rotenburo and a pebble walking bath.
- Sand bath: you are buried in sand warmed by onsen steam under a roof, so it runs in rain too. Yukata rental ¥840 extra, separate desk.
- Re-enter the main baths as often as you like while inside. Try the jigoku-mushi steam-cooking corner and the “hell-kettle pudding” steamed with onsen vapour.
- All 14 private rooms have their own steam bath; waits get long at peak, so come early.
Getting there
From JR Beppu Station west exit, Kamenoi bus toward Kannawa ~20 min to “Jigokubaru / Hyotan Onsen”, then 3 min on foot. About 45 min by car from Oita Airport; free parking for 80. Open till 1 a.m., handy after an evening of hell-touring.
Before you go
- With tattoos, use the private or family baths rather than the main bath.
- Sand and steam baths are taken in a yukata — rent one or bring a T-shirt and shorts. You'll sweat, so hydrate.
- Last entry is 30–60 minutes before closing.
Features
Only here
Rules & private
Convenience
Who with
Language support
✔ Verified operating: 2026-09 Operating status and rates cross-checked against the official site and onsen guides (full source notes in Japanese on the JA page)
Prices and hours change. Check official sources before visiting.
More in this area
Takegawara Onsen
Founded in 1879, with its 1938 wooden building and curved gable, Takegawara is the symbol of Beppu Onsen. A regular bath costs ¥300 — a deep, hot pool down a flight of steps. The famous sand bath has you buried in warm sand by staff while wearing a yukata. Bring your own soap and shampoo.
Shitan-yu at Lake Kinrin
A thatched communal bath on the shore of Lake Kinrin. Unstaffed — drop ¥300 in the box at the door. Changing area and bath share one room; an indoor pool and a half-open pool facing the lake, and it is mixed bathing with clear water and little screening, so it's a challenge for women. Right in busy central Yufuin, but quiet at the 10 am opening.
Myōban Yu-no-Sato
A milky open-air bath on a hillside above Beppu Bay. Thatched 'yunohana huts' where bath salts are harvested — a national cultural property — line the grounds and can be visited free. Hell-steamed food too.
