
Kagoshima · Kirishima Onsen
Kirishima Sakura Sakura Onsen (Mud Bath)
霧島 さくらさくら温泉(泥湯)
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.
- Price (adult)
- ¥900
- Hours
- 11:00–20:00 (may end early)
- Closed
- Irregular (announced in official news)
- Access
- 15 min by car from JR Kirishima-Jingū Station
- Water type
- Sulfur spring
- Tattoos
- Ask ahead
- Admission
- Adults (junior-high+) ¥900 / children (4 to elementary) ¥350 incl. bathing tax (¥800 until 2025). Towels extra. Free for overnight guests. The private rotenburo “Miyama” is guests-only (16–23) and suspended in cold months
- Baths
- Large gender-separated rotenburo “Sakura-no-yu” plus two indoor tubs. A box of natural mud beside the outdoor bath lets you do a free mud pack — smear, dry, rinse. Mud face wash sold in the shop. Lunch buffet (30 dishes) + bath sets available
- Water
- Mildly acidic sulfur spring, grey and cloudy with abundant sulfur. The natural mud is spring sediment, promoted for whitening and pore care. Water tends to be lukewarm (weather-dependent)
- Parking
- Free, 100 cars. 5 min by car from Kirishima Shrine, off Route 223
- Phone
- 0995-57-1227
- Official site
- sakura-sakura.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
- Rare natural mud-mask bath
- Pair with Kirishima Shrine
- ¥900 for outdoor and indoor baths
Mud from the spring all over you: the “mud bath” inn by Kirishima Shrine
Sakura-Sakura Onsen, five minutes by car from Kirishima Shrine in the woods of the Kirishima-Jingu spa area, is a modest inn and day spa famous for a rarity in Kyushu: a natural mud bath. Grey mud formed from sulfur-spring sediment sits in a box beside the outdoor bath; smear it on face and body, let it dry for 5–10 minutes and rinse in the spring for silky skin — a free “mud pack” especially popular with women and couples. The water itself runs lukewarm, so this is a place to enjoy the mud and sulfur scent rather than a hot soak; drop in after the shrine or pair it with the lunch buffet and linger.
Tips & cautions
- Don’t let the mud dry completely or it’s hard to remove; rinse once the surface starts drying. Keep it out of eyes and hair.
- Mud stains towels — avoid white ones. Return leftover mud to the designated spot, not the drain.
- The water is lukewarm; winter can feel chilly.
- Irregular closures and early finishes are posted on the official news page — check first. Group bookings can cancel day use.
- The restaurant closes around 15:00; the lunch buffet + bath set is popular.
- Public transport is poor — a rental car is best (6.4 km from Kirishima-Jingu Station).
Getting there
~12 min by car from JR Kirishima-Jingu Station (6.4 km; Kirishima-Taguchi 2324-7), or 3 min on foot from the “Yokodake-shita” bus stop. 5 min from Kirishima Shrine; ~35 min from Kagoshima Airport. Free parking for 100.
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
Who with
Convenience
Price
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.
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