
Kagawa · Takamatsu City
Takamatsu Crater-no-Yu Kirara
高松クレーターの湯 天然温泉きらら
A natural hot spring super-sentō on Prefectural Route 12 in Ichinomiya, southern Takamatsu. It takes its name from the 'Takamatsu Crater', a roughly 4 km-wide buried structure beneath the plain thought by some to be a meteorite impact site, and draws its spring from about 300 m underground. The clear, soft water fills rock baths, pot baths, lie-down tubs and jet baths, with an open-air bath, sauna and cold plunge as well. Hours run from 6:00 in the morning until midnight (last entry 23:00), suiting both early dips and late stops, open all year (opening at 17:00 only on the third Tuesday). Adults pay ¥750 and children from infants to elementary age ¥350; towels are rented for a fee. A restaurant, rest space, overnight rooms and banquet halls keep it popular with locals, and barrier-free facilities are a point of pride. About 10 minutes' walk north of Kūkō-dōri Station on the Kotoden Kotohira Line, 20 minutes by car from Takamatsu Airport, with free parking for 200 cars. Good after Ritsurin Garden or a Sanuki udon crawl.
- Price (adult)
- ¥750
- Hours
- 06:00–24:00 (from 17:00 on 3rd Tue)
- Closed
- Open daily
- Access
- About 10 min on foot north of Kūkō-dōri Station (Kotoden Kotohira Line); about 20 min by car from Takamatsu Airport; about 15 min by car from Takamatsu-Chūō IC
- Water type
- Simple spring
- Tattoos
- Ask ahead
- Admission
- Bathing adults (junior high and up) ¥750, children (from 0 to elementary) ¥350. Shampoo and body soap free, face and bath towels rented for a charge, lockers with keys free, hair dryers free. Restaurant, bodywork, foot care, overnight stays (from ¥4,850 a night) and banquet rooms. Cash and cards
- Baths
- A natural onsen super-sento in Ichinomiya, southern Takamatsu, along Prefectural Route 12. The 'crater' in its name refers to a circular structure about 4 km across sleeping beneath the Takamatsu plain (some say it is a meteorite impact trace), and from about 300 m underground beneath it a spring rich in metasilicic acid wells at some 270 litres a minute. With a rock bath, pot baths, a lying-down tub, jets, a rotenburo, a sauna and a plunge, and open from 6 a.m. to midnight, it serves both early mornings and late nights
- Spring water
- A spring from about 300 m underground flowing at some 270 litres a minute and rich in metasilicic acid. Colourless and soft, it is said to make the skin smooth, and with many functional baths — rock bath, pot baths, lying-down tub, jets — a single visit lets you move among several kinds. There is also a rotenburo, sauna and plunge, and for anyone who wants onsen and sauna together the hours from 6 a.m. to midnight are especially welcome
- Access & parking
- 8–10 minutes on foot north from Kūkō-dōri Station on the Kotoden Kotohira Line, about 20 minutes by car from Takamatsu Airport, about 20 by taxi from JR Takamatsu Station, about 15 from Takamatsu-Chūō IC. Free parking for 200, making it a good base for Sanuki udon tours or a rental-car trip. Barrier-free facilities are thorough, so it is easy with older companions
- Phone
- 087-815-6622
- Official site
- kirara-onsen.jp ↗
- Open in Google Maps
- Google Maps ↗
Essentials
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Why go
- Natural spring from 300 m under the 'Takamatsu Crater'
- Open 6:00–24:00 every day of the year
- ¥750; 10 min from Kūkō-dōri Station; 200 parking spaces
A spring rising from the crater beneath the Takamatsu plain
Takamatsu Crater-no-Yu Kirara is a natural onsen super-sento in Ichinomiya, Takamatsu, Kagawa, along Prefectural Route 12. The 'crater' in its name is not a playful nickname but refers to a circular structure about 4 km across sleeping beneath the Takamatsu plain — some say it is the trace of a meteorite impact — and from about 300 m underground beneath that terrain a spring rich in metasilicic acid wells at some 270 litres a minute. The water is colourless and soft, and many say it makes the skin smooth. The bathhouse has many functional baths — rock bath, pot baths, lying-down tub, jets — so a single visit lets you move among several kinds, and there is a rotenburo, sauna and plunge. The facility's greatest advantage is its hours. It opens from 6 a.m. to midnight (last entry 11 p.m.), closing only at 5 p.m. opening on the third Tuesday, so travellers landing at Takamatsu on an early flight can take a morning bath and those coming out of a late udon dinner can take a finishing one. It is open all year, and a morning-bath ticket book (¥4,500) valid for entry between 6 and 9 a.m. pays off for early risers. Rates are ¥750 for adults and ¥350 for children (from 0 to elementary), cheap for the size and the hours; shampoo and body soap are free, towels are rented for a charge, and lockers with keys and hair dryers are free. Side facilities are substantial too: a restaurant (set meals, rice bowls, curry, udon), bodywork and foot care, and with overnight stays (from ¥4,850) and banquet rooms it also serves as a local gathering place. Barrier-free facilities are well provided, so it is easy with older people or children, and free parking is spacious at 200 spaces. It suits a stop after a Sanuki udon tour or a visit to Ritsurin Park, and being close to Ichinomiji, the eighty-third temple of the Shikoku pilgrimage, it is well used by pilgrims too.
A day from morning bath to midnight, and the side facilities
Park (200 free spaces), go in and buy a ticket at the machine (¥750 for adults). Shampoo and body soap are free, and lockers with keys and hair dryers are free too; only towels are rented, so renting them is the way to travel light. A recommended circuit: wash and soak 10 minutes in the main tub; 20 minutes moving between the rock bath, pot baths and lying-down tub; loosen up in the jets; 15 minutes in the rotenburo; 8–10 minutes in the sauna and a minute in the plunge, three sets; and finish in a pot bath. The water is a colourless, soft spring rich in metasilicic acid, mild enough to stay in long, and since it opens at 6 a.m. a bath straight after an early arrival is especially refreshing. Afterwards eat a set meal, rice bowl, curry or Sanuki udon in the restaurant, take bodywork or foot care if the body feels heavy, and if it is late there is the option of staying the night (from ¥4,850) — being able to use the onsen repeatedly is a real advantage for guests. For travellers who move early, the morning-bath ticket book (¥4,500) valid for entry between 6 and 9 a.m. is the better deal, and with older companions the thorough barrier-free facilities are reassuring. Notes: the third Tuesday opens at 5 p.m.; last entry 23:00; towels charged (rental); crowded weekend evenings; cash and cards accepted. With low fees, long hours and a variety of tubs, Kirara is Takamatsu's leading super-sento and fits easily at either end of a Shikoku trip.
Practical details and a Takamatsu and Shikoku route
Hours are 6:00–24:00 (last entry 23:00), the third Tuesday only 17:00–24:00, open all year; adults ¥750, children ¥350, morning-bath ticket book ¥4,500 (entry 6–9 a.m.), overnight from ¥4,850, free parking for 200. Access is 8–10 minutes on foot from Kūkō-dōri Station, 20 minutes from Takamatsu Airport, 20 by taxi from JR Takamatsu Station. Suggested routes: (1) a day in Takamatsu — Ritsurin Park, Sanuki udon for lunch, a bath at Kirara, then Tamamo Park; (2) a morning bath — landing on an early flight, bathing straight after the 6 a.m. opening, udon for breakfast, then sightseeing in the town; (3) a pilgrimage — Ichinomiji, the eighty-third temple, a bath at Kirara, then Yashimaji, the eighty-fourth; (4) island hopping — Naoshima and Teshima, Uno Port, then back to Takamatsu and Kirara; (5) late night — Sanuki udon in the evening, a bath before the 11 p.m. last entry, then overnight. Notes: the third Tuesday opens at 5 p.m.; last entry 23:00; towels charged; crowded weekend evenings; cash and cards accepted. Kirara is an onsen usable in Takamatsu in the morning, at midday or at night, and works especially well in a bathing plan timed to flights.
Before you go
- No official tattoo policy is published — ask at reception.
- Payment is usually by ticket machine in cash — bring coins.
- Last entry is 30–60 minutes before closing.
Features
Sauna & wellness
Price
Who with
Amenities
✔ Verified operating: 2026-10 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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