Miyazaki · Gokuraku Onsen, Takaharu
Yunomoto Onsen, Takaharu
湯之元温泉（高原町）
A lone hot spring inn at Kamuta in Takaharu, Miyazaki, on the eastern foot of the Kirishima range. A therapeutic bathing spot since the Meiji era, its pride is an extremely carbonated spring with 1,314 mg/kg of free carbon dioxide. Ease into the unheated, chilly carbonated pool and fine bubbles cling to every inch of skin – a concentration said to equal 10–25 bath-fizz tablets. The heated indoor and open-air baths glow golden with iron-rich cloudy water, and alternating between them and the cold spring is the house ritual; a drinking fountain lets you taste the sharply fizzy, iron-flavoured source too. Day bathing costs ¥650 for adults and ¥300 for ages 3–12, 10:00–21:00 (last entry 20:30), closed as a rule on the first and third Wednesdays (subject to change). Day-rest rooms, tatami rooms and detached cottages for overnight stays, and meals of local produce are available. About 10 minutes by car from Takaharu IC on the Miyazaki Expressway, with parking for about 60 cars. Combine it with Kirishima Shrine, a climb of Takachiho-no-mine or the Ebino plateau.
- Price (adult)
- ¥650
- Hours
- 10:00–21:00 (last entry 20:30)
- Closed
- 1st & 3rd Wed (open if a holiday; subject to change)
- Access
- About 10 min by car from Takaharu IC on the Miyazaki Expressway; about 10 min by car from JR Takaharu Station (Kitto Line); about 50 min by car from Miyazaki Airport
- Water type
- Bicarbonate spring
- Tattoos
- Ask ahead
- Admission
- Adults ¥650, ages 3 to elementary ¥300, 2 and under free (¥250 if two children under 2). Private rest room ¥3,500 (up to 3 people, +¥500 per extra person, 10:00–15:00, reservation). Meals (set trays) by reservation
- Baths
- For each gender: an indoor bath (heated spring), a mineral bath turned brown, an open-air bath, a raw high-carbonation source tub (cold, about 21°C), a cold plunge and a steam bath. Spacious, clean changing rooms. Shop. Ten guest rooms (including three detached cottages). Parking for 60–70 cars
- Water
- Bicarbonate / carbon-dioxide spring (of the CO₂-bearing sodium-magnesium bicarbonate type), 21.6°C, pH 5.8, naturally flowing at 8.7 L/min, 3,252 mg/kg dissolved solids. With over 1,300 ppm of CO₂ it fizzes like soda — one of Japan's strongest natural carbonated springs. Colourless, odourless, sharply fizzy and iron-flavoured; the heated tubs turn brown as the iron oxidises. Indicated for high blood pressure, poor circulation, digestive and skin complaints
- Parking & access
- Free parking for 60–70 cars. About 5 min by car from JR Takaharu Station (Kitto Line). About 5 km (10 min) via Route 223 from Takaharu IC on the Miyazaki Expressway. About 50 min by car from central Miyazaki or Miyazaki Airport. Gokuraku Onsen Takumi-no-yado is within walking distance
- Phone
- 0984-42-3701
- Official site
- yunomoto-onsen.com ↗
- Open in Google Maps
- Google Maps ↗
Essentials
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Why go
- Soak in raw carbonated spring with 1,314 mg free CO2
- Alternate golden iron baths and the cold fizz pool
- ¥650 day bathing; closed 1st & 3rd Wed; lone inn
Founded in 1902, a veteran inn of soda-like carbonated water
Yunomoto Onsen is a hot-spring retreat founded in 1902 in the hills at the foot of the Kirishima range in Takaharu, Miyazaki. Its source is said to have been discovered in the Edo period, and with more than 1,300 ppm of dissolved CO₂ it fizzes like soda — one of the most strongly carbonated natural springs in Japan. The natural flow is a modest 8.7 litres a minute, so this small establishment husbands its precious water carefully, and the water's character is all the more distinct for it. A quiet inn of ten rooms, it offers day bathing 10:00–21:00 for ¥650 to a steady trickle of locals and onsen connoisseurs.
A raw source tub so fizzy it stings
Each side of the bath house has a heated indoor bath and open-air bath, a mineral bath turned brown by oxidised iron, and — the heart of the place — a raw tub of high-carbonation source water. That tub holds the cold spring, about 21°C, unheated: sink in and your whole body is instantly sheathed in bubbles, the carbonation strong enough to prickle the skin. Cold at first, it soon sets your core glowing as the CO₂ dilates the peripheral vessels, so the knack is to warm up in the heated bath, spend 3–5 minutes in the source tub, return, and repeat several times. The water is colourless and odourless, sharply fizzy and iron-flavoured when drunk, and has long been credited with helping stomach complaints and high blood pressure.
Practical details and an Oku-Kirishima bath crawl
Day bathing is 10:00–21:00 (last entry 20:30); closures are normally the first and third Wednesdays but can change, so check before you go. Adults ¥650, ages 3 to elementary ¥300. Private rest rooms (¥3,500, 10:00–15:00) and meals (set trays) require reservation. It is 5 minutes by car from JR Takaharu Station and 10 from Takaharu IC, and Gokuraku Onsen Takumi-no-yado, of the same carbonated-iron lineage, is within walking distance — comparing the two is the classic 'Oku-Kirishima carbonated-spring crawl' among enthusiasts. Because the source yield is small, good manners mean not monopolising the carbonated tub for long.
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
Sauna & wellness
Mood & scenery
Price
Who with
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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