Kagoshima · Kirishima Onsen
Kirishima Hotel Iōdani Garden Bath
霧島ホテル 硫黄谷庭園大浴場
A vast garden bath hall fed by 14 sources at 1,400 litres a minute, with four water types — sulfur, alum, saline and iron — in one place. The central pool is mixed-gender (women-only hours; bathing garments allowed).
- Price (adult)
- ¥1,200
- Hours
- Day use 11:00–17:00 (may end early)
- Closed
- Irregular (a few closure days a year)
- Access
- 30 min by bus from JR Kirishima-Jingu Station
- Water type
- Sulfur spring
- Tattoos
- Ask ahead
- Admission
- Day use adults ¥1,200 / children (3–12) ¥600 (up from ¥1,000). Pay at reception; face towel loan included. Half price on days the mixed zone is closed. ¥200 off for Kyushu 88 Onsen members
- Baths
- The “Iodani Garden Bath” fed by 14 sources yielding 14 million litres a day. Men’s and women’s zones plus a mixed free zone (bathing garments allowed) with eight kinds of tub, including a 1.4 m-deep, 25 m-long standing bath and cascade baths. Sauna and rotenburo. Overnight guests get a women-only slot 20:00–21:30 and night illumination
- Water
- Four water types in one place — sulfur, alum, salt and iron springs — with source water cascading like a waterfall into the milky main pool. Strong sulfur smell
- Parking
- Large free car park. 5 min by car from Maruo, the centre of the Kirishima spa area, on Route 223 at Iodani
- Phone
- 0995-78-2121
- Official site
- kirishima-hotel.jp ↗
- Open in Google Maps
- Google Maps ↗
Essentials
Stay in this onsen town
Compare and book stays in Kirishima Onsen. Day bathing itself needs no booking.
Opens partner booking site (affiliate)
Why go
- Four water types from 14 sources
- 1,400 litres per minute
- Iōdani valley, linked to Sakamoto Ryōma
Fourteen million litres a day: one of Japan’s largest sulfur garden baths
Kirishima Onsen is the mountain spa region where Sakamoto Ryoma spent his honeymoon; a little up the highway from its hub, Maruo, in the “Sulfur Valley”, stands the Kirishima Hotel. Its garden bath, said to hold a thousand people at once, is fed by 14 sources pouring 14 million litres a day: the water cascades in at the back of the main pool and fills the indoor garden with milky white. A 1.4 m-deep standing bath, cascade baths and small tubs of four water types — alum, iron and more — are scattered under pavilions to explore. The centre is a mixed free zone, but separate men’s and women’s zones make it easy for first-timers. Day use 11:00–17:00, ¥1,200.
Tips & cautions
- Bathing garments or large towels are fine in the mixed zone. The women-only slot (20:00–21:30) is for overnight guests.
- May close early or suspend day use in busy periods such as Obon — phone the same day.
- Strong sulfur; silver turns black, so remove jewellery.
- Floors are slippery and the space is vast — hold children’s hands; the standing bath is deep for shorter people.
- Face towels are lent; bath towels cost extra.
- Combine with the steam vents on the nature trail (3 min) and Maruo Falls.
Getting there
~30 min by bus from JR Kirishima-Jingu Station to “Iodani” / “Kirishima Hotel-mae” (Makizono, Takachiho 3948). ~30 min by car or ~35 min by bus from Kagoshima Airport via Maruo; ~30 min from Mizobe-Kagoshima-Airport IC. Free parking.
Before you go
- No official tattoo policy is published — ask at reception.
- Ryokan day-use hours are limited and may be suspended in peak season — phone the same morning.
- Last entry is 30–60 minutes before closing.
Features
Rules & private
Mood & scenery
Convenience
Amenities
✔ 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
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Nigatsuden Onsen Tonosama-yu
A public bath from the early Shōwa era beside the ruins of the Shimazu lords' private bathhouse. The Shimazu crest decorates the tub; the salty water runs hot and free-flowing. Free drinking spring too — a local follow-up to the sand bath.
Kirishima Sakura Sakura Onsen (Mud Bath)
About 5 minutes by car from Kirishima Shrine, a rare inn with a natural mud bath. Scoop the grey mineral mud from the milky sulfur pool and use it as a body mask in the open-air bath. Day use 11 am–8 pm, ¥900 — the classic stop after the shrine.
