Kumamoto · Kurokawa Onsen
Kurokawa Onsen Yamamizuki
黒川温泉 山みず木
Five minutes' drive beyond the village in Oku-Kurokawa, this inn's riverside open-air bath 'Yūkoku-no-yu' is often called the finest in Kurokawa. Day use 10 am–3 pm, ¥600 (or with the ¥1,500 hopping pass); private baths ¥2,500/50 min until 8 pm.
- Price (adult)
- ¥600
- Hours
- 10:00–15:00 (last entry 14:30)
- Closed
- Irregular
- Access
- 5 min by taxi from Kurokawa Onsen bus stop
- Water type
- Simple spring
- Tattoos
- Ask ahead
- Admission
- Adults ¥600 / children (3 to elementary) ¥300 / under 3 free. Nyuto Tegata accepted (open-air only). ¥100 off for Fuji Resort LINE friends. Private baths from ¥2,000 per 50 min (10:00–21:00; booking required after 17:00)
- Baths
- Day use: men’s open-air “Yukoku-no-yu” (a huge boulder-lined riverside bath, the inn’s emblem) / women’s open-air “Mori-no-yu” (with indoor bath). Men’s indoor “Fujin-no-yu” is guests-only. Three private baths (one after 17:00)
- Water
- Simple spring, free-flowing; clear and gentle
- Amenities
- Towel ¥300 (no bath towels); soap and shampoo in the women’s bath only; dryers and lockable lockers. No washing area at the men’s rotenburo
- Phone
- 0967-44-0336
- Official site
- yamamizuki.com ↗
- Open in Google Maps
- Google Maps ↗
Essentials
Stay in this onsen town
Compare and book stays in Kurokawa Onsen. Day bathing itself needs no booking.
Opens partner booking site (affiliate)
Why go
- Kurokawa's most acclaimed riverside bath
- Usable with the hopping pass
- Private baths until 8 pm
Boulders and a mountain stream in Oku-Kurokawa
Yamamizuki is a mountain inn in “Oku-Kurokawa”, further up the gorge from the village, and a perennial favourite in Nyuto Tegata polls. The men’s open-air “Yukoku-no-yu” is a wild, boulder-built bath right beside the stream with nothing blocking the view, so you feel part of the river; the women’s “Mori-no-yu” lies in the same streamside greenery. Day bathing is a short 10:00–15:00 window (reception till 14:30) and the inn is 20+ minutes’ walk from the village, so plan ahead — but many name it the best bath in Kurokawa.
Tips & cautions
- Reception closes sharply at 14:30; quietest right after 10:00.
- No washing area or soap at the men’s rotenburo — wash elsewhere, just soak. Women’s side has an indoor bath and soap.
- 25 min on foot (some uphill) from Kaze-no-ya; 5 min by taxi or drive. Parking available.
- Irregular closures for maintenance and seasonal days — call 0967-44-0336.
- Nyuto Tegata valid for the open-air baths only, not private baths.
Getting there
About 25 min on foot or 5 min by taxi from the Kurokawa Onsen bus stop (Manganji 6392-2, Oku-Kurokawa). ~1 h by car from Hita 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.
- Payment is usually by ticket machine in cash — bring coins.
- Last entry is 30–60 minutes before closing.
Features
Mood & scenery
Price
Rules & private
Convenience
Only here
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
Kurokawa Onsen Nyuto Tegata (bath-hopping pass)
One cedar 'nyuto tegata' pass (¥1,500) admits you to any three of the rotenburo at Kurokawa's 26-odd ryokan. Valid for six months, and one of the three stickers can be spent on food or souvenirs instead. Most inns accept bathers roughly 8:30–21:00, but hours vary and some close for cleaning or when full. Buy the pass at any ryokan or the association office 'Kaze no Ya'.
Ana-yu communal bath
A tiny bath hut on the Tanohara River, rebuilt by donations in 2022 after the 2020 floods (now separate men's and women's rooms). Slide the shutters open and it becomes almost open-air. ¥200 in the box.
Jizō-yu (Kurokawa communal bath)
The oldest communal bath in town, next to the Jizō hall that gives Kurokawa its identity. Not covered by the bath-hopping pass, but only ¥200. No soap; the water runs hot.
