Fukuoka · Wakita Onsen, Miyawaka
Wakita Onsen Yunozen-no-Sato (Nansuikaku)
脇田温泉 湯乃禅の里（楠水閣）
A day-use bath run by Nansuikaku, the old inn of Wakita Onsen at the foot of the Inunaki range in Miyawaka, roughly midway between Fukuoka and Kitakyūshū. Nine kinds of open-air bath — a waterwheel bath, the 'Thirty-six Poets' bath, 'Kappa Paradise' and more — are dotted through the greenery, with a cold-spring bath, sauna and lie-down bath, making it a bath-hopping spot. The water is 100 % source alkaline simple spring, smooth on the skin. Day bathing: adults ¥900, children ¥500; open 10:00–22:00 (last entry; closing varies by season, until 23:00 in summer), closed Wednesdays plus occasional days. Private baths (¥3,000 per hour on weekdays) and day packages combining bath, meal and massage are popular. Tattoos are not accepted and payment is cash only. About 15 minutes by car from Wakamiya IC on the Kyūshū Expressway, or by bus from JR Nōgata Station to 'Nansuikaku-mae'. A classic day trip from Fukuoka; to stay, choose the Nansuikaku inn or the adjoining Route Inn Grantia.
- Price (adult)
- ¥900
- Hours
- 11:00–22:30 (reception until 22:00; varies by season)
- Closed
- Wed (may change around holidays)
- Access
- About 15 min by car from Wakamiya IC (Kyūshū Expressway); Nishitetsu bus from JR Nōgata Station to 'Nansuikaku-mae', right by the stop; about 50 min by car from Fukuoka city
- Water type
- Alkaline simple
- Tattoos
- Not allowed
- Admission
- Adults ¥900 weekdays / ¥1,000 weekends and holidays. Children (3 to elementary) ¥500 / ¥600, under 3 ¥200 / ¥300. Meal set (bathing plus one of nine dishes at the Yunohana restaurant) ¥2,100 weekdays / ¥2,200 weekends. Cash only. Private family baths are priced and booked separately
- Baths
- No indoor bath — everything is open-air, wash stations, sauna and cold plunge included. Nine rotenburo across the two sides (waterwheel bath, 'Kaguya-hime-no-Yu' ringed by 17 kinds of bamboo, 'Sanjurokkasen-no-Yu' with its big paintings, etc.), a natural cold-spring plunge at 16–20°C with a waterfall, lie-down bath, 90°C far-infrared sauna. Sides swap every Thursday. Many private family baths in a separate wing
- Water
- Alkaline simple spring, 100% source water (heated). Colourless, odourless, mild and gentle. Indicated for wounds, fatigue, rheumatism, neuralgia
- Parking & access
- Free parking for about 70 cars. From Nogata Station on the JR Fukuhoku-Yutaka Line, bus to 'Nansuikaku-mae' then 4 min on foot. About 15 min from Wakamiya IC on the Kyushu Expressway, about 50 min by car from central Fukuoka. Pick-up for guests of the Nansuikaku inn
- Phone
- 0949-54-0123
- Official site
- nansuikaku.com ↗
- Open in Google Maps
- Google Maps ↗
Essentials
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Why go
- Nine open-air baths scattered in greenery
- Midway between Fukuoka and Kitakyūshū
- ¥900; closed Wed; no tattoos
At the foot of the Inunaki hills — Wakita Onsen's bath-hopping inn
Wakita Onsen Yunozen-no-Sato is a day-use open-air bath complex run by the ryokan Nansuikaku at Wakita Onsen, cradled in the greenery of the Inunaki hills in Miyawaka, Fukuoka. Fifty minutes by car from the city, Wakita is a quiet spa long known as 'Fukuoka's back parlour', with a few inns strung along the Inunaki River. Nansuikaku styles itself a 'bath-hopping inn' and built this open-air village separately from its main-building baths and family baths; on the grounds are the Yunohana restaurant, the Zen handmade-soba house, the Popposhan charcoal-grilled chicken shop, the Anju massage salon and the Yuyutei rest hall, so you can easily spend the whole day.
Nine open-air baths and not a single indoor one
What sets this place apart is that there is no indoor bath at all: the wash stations, the sauna and the cold plunge are all outdoors, so you bathe in the open air in every season. The nine rotenburo across the two sides each have a theme — a turning waterwheel bath, 'Kaguya-hime-no-Yu' ringed by 17 kinds of bamboo, a bath hung with big 'Thirty-six Immortal Poets' paintings, rock and cypress tubs, a lie-down bath — and you work your way round them. The sides swap every Thursday, so two visits cover the lot. Sauna fans praise the routine of the 90°C far-infrared sauna followed by a plunge into the natural 16–20°C cold spring (complete with waterfall) and an air bath in the mountain breeze. The water is a 100% alkaline simple spring, colourless and odourless — gentleness rather than character is its virtue.
Tips
Open 11:00–22:30 (reception until 22:00, seasonal variation), closed Wednesdays (may shift around holidays). ¥900 weekdays, ¥1,000 weekends, cash only. The meal set at the Yunohana restaurant (¥2,100 weekdays) is good value; the Zen soba house opens Friday to Sunday only, and neither it nor the chicken grill takes reservations. You will be moving between many tubs, so bring extra towels — in winter the walks between baths are chilly. No tattoos. From Nogata Station take the bus to 'Nansuikaku-mae' then walk 4 minutes; 15 minutes from Wakamiya IC; free parking for 70 cars. For overnight stays book the Nansuikaku main building (rooms with private hot-spring baths and rentable baths).
Before you go
- Tattoos are explicitly not allowed, even if covered.
- 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
Sauna & wellness
Rules & private
Mood & scenery
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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