Nagasaki · Unzen Onsen
Unzen Yokayu
雲仙よか湯
A day-bath with a simple lodging near the entrance to Unzen Jigoku. Every tub is free-flowing milky sulfur water — indoor, open-air and four private outdoor baths. ¥500, 9 am to 9 pm; an easy stop before or after touring the 'hells'.
- Price (adult)
- ¥550
- Hours
- 09:00–21:00 (last entry 20:30; family baths until 20:00)
- Closed
- Open daily
- Access
- Shimatetsu bus to Shirakumo-no-ike-iriguchi; 5 min walk from Unzen info centre
- Water type
- Sulfur spring
- Tattoos
- Ask ahead
- Admission
- Main bath ¥550 (members ¥450), children ¥250. Family baths (1 h per room) ¥1,400 room fee plus ¥550 per adult / ¥250 per child — six rooms, booking advised. Private rest room ¥1,000/h. Body wash and dryers free; shampoo and towels extra. No cards
- Baths
- Gender-separated indoor bath plus two rotenburo each, six private family baths (with open-air tubs). Free rest hall (bring your own food), annex café “Chokotto Yokayu” (2023). Room-only lodging attached
- Water
- Source “Unzen Yunosato”, simple sulfur spring (hypotonic, acidic) pH 2.3, 41.7 °C, 100% free-flowing. Run by a spa-equipment company proud of its freshness control; posts playful tips like inhaling the steam for rhinitis
- Parking
- Free, 50 cars. At the Shirakumo Pond entrance south of the village, 10 min on foot from Unzen Jigoku
- Phone
- 0957-73-3482
- Official site
- unzen-yokayu.co.jp ↗
- Open in Google Maps
- Google Maps ↗
Essentials
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Why go
- Milky sulfur water, all free-flowing
- Four private open-air baths
- ¥500, open until 9 pm
pH 2.3 source water for ¥550, plus six family baths
Unzen Yokayu (“good bath” in Kyushu dialect) is a day spa with room-only lodging at the entrance to the Shirakumo Pond woods south of the village — the best-equipped public facility in ryokan-dominated Unzen. Run by a spa-equipment firm that prides itself on keeping the pH 2.3 acidic sulfur water 100% free-flowing and fresh, it offers gender-separated indoor baths each with two rotenburo, plus six private family baths rented by the hour. The free rest hall allows picnics, and locals spend half a day there. More comfortable than the ¥200 communal baths and cheaper than ryokan day use (¥1,000+), it is the middle option — ideal for families driving up from Shimabara or Obama.
Tips & cautions
- Cash only. Family baths fill up at weekends — phone ahead (0957-73-2003); last slot 20:00.
- Strongly acidic (pH 2.3): remove jewellery, rinse eyes if splashed, and long soaks can tingle.
- Shampoo and towels cost extra — bring your own; body wash is provided.
- 10 min south of the village centre on foot — walk over after the Jigoku.
- Use the annex café and free rest hall to make it a half-day.
Getting there
~10 min on foot from the “Unzen” bus stop (Obama-cho Unzen 380, Shirakumo Pond entrance). ~1 h 20 min by bus from Isahaya Station; ~1 h from Isahaya IC via Route 57. Free parking for 50.
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
Rules & private
Price
Convenience
Mood & scenery
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
Unzen Kojigoku Onsen-kan
A historic cure-bath in the hills a short way from Unzen's main street, said to have hosted Siebold and Yoshida Shōin. An octagonal wooden bathhouse with milky sulfur water cooled from a 90°C source. No open-air bath, but Unzen's finest water.
Obama Onsen Wakihama Public Bath (Otasshan-yu)
A communal bath in Obama Onsen on Tachibana Bay, whose ~100°C springs release more heat than any in Japan. The single-storey wooden building from 1937 feels like a museum of Showa-era life and is a designated prefectural townscape asset. Pay at the old-style counter, then choose between the hot and very hot tubs of free-flowing chloride water. Open from 6 am; part of the Kyushu 88 Onsen trail. About an hour from Nagasaki city, on the way back from Unzen.
Shimabara Onsen Yutorogi-no-yu
A municipal day-use onsen entered straight from the Shimabara Ichibangai shopping arcade in this spring-water castle town. Magnesium-sodium bicarbonate water (source 61.8 °C) is used free-flowing — clear, colourless and soft on the skin. The building has a retro Shōwa-era bathhouse feel, with a sauna and tatami rest hall; admission ¥530, or ¥320 for over-70s. Open 10:00–21:00 (last entry 20:30), closed Wednesdays. Within walking distance of Shimabara Castle, the samurai quarter and the carp-stream streets, and a handy stop between Shimabara port and Unzen. Parking free for two hours.
