Hyotan Onsen | Beppu’s Traditional 100% Free-Flowing Hot Spring

Hyotan Onsen

Hyotan Onsen, an icon of Japanese hot spring culture, is a day-use bathing facility in the Kannawa district of Beppu, Oita Prefecture, with over 100 years of history. As the saying "Mount Fuji for mountains, the Seto Inland Sea for the sea, and Beppu for hot springs" suggests, Beppu has long been cherished as Japan's premier hot spring destination. At Hyotan Onsen, a flagship of Beppu, you can enjoy a genuine experience of 100% free-flowing source water and savor Japanese hot spring culture across a wide variety of baths. It is also the only hot spring facility to earn three stars in the Michelin Green Guide, making it a popular spot that draws visitors from Japan and abroad.

Features and Appeal of Hyotan Onsen

A Traditional Day-Use Hot Spring with Over 100 Years of History

Hyotan Onsen in Beppu, Oita Prefecture, is a long-established hot spring facility with more than 100 years of history, dating back to its founding in 1922 (Taisho 11). It began when the founder, Junsaku, struck a hot spring while trying to ease the rheumatism of his wife, Matsu. The facility's name comes from the founder's admiration for Toyotomi Hideyoshi, whose battle standard featured the sennari-byotan (a cluster of gourds — hyotan means gourd). The gourd-shaped rock bath built in the early days still remains in the women's bathing area and is cherished by many to this day.

A Genuine Hot Spring with 100% Free-Flowing Source Water

Hyotan Onsen's greatest distinction is its commitment to "100% free-flowing source water" with no added water and no reheating. The source water is extremely hot at about 100.4°C, but the facility uses its own bamboo-based cooling system, the Yumetake®, to bring the water down to a comfortable temperature without using any chemicals and without diminishing the spring's minerals or benefits. This lets you bathe in water that retains the full natural quality and benefits of the source.

High-Quality Hot Spring Recognized by Michelin

Hyotan Onsen is the only hot spring facility to earn three stars in the Michelin Green Guide ("worth a special journey"). This rating reflects high praise for the facility's historical value, its genuine 100% free-flowing source water, and the wide variety of hot spring experiences it offers, including the sand bath and steam bath.

A Wide Range of Hot Spring Facilities

At Hyotan Onsen, you can enjoy six different types of hot spring experiences. Each has its own character, and being able to experience so many facets of hot spring culture in one visit is part of the appeal.

Main Bathing Hall

The main bathing halls, separated for men and women, offer both indoor and open-air baths. The men's hall in particular has 19 takiyu (cascade baths), and the women's hall has 8. The cascades let you direct the hot spring water onto specific areas such as the shoulders and back, promoting circulation and helping to loosen tense muscles.

Sand Bath

You can enjoy the sand bath, a specialty of Beppu's Kannawa district. By being buried in sand heated by hot spring steam, you sweat profusely from head to toe, which can also have a detox effect. The sand at Hyotan Onsen comes from natural sand from the Beppu coast and has a fine, smooth texture. The temperature is gentle, so you can enjoy it for a long time.

Steam Bath

The mushiyu is a natural steam sauna that uses the steam rising from the hot spring. It warms your body gradually, and sweating heavily helps flush out waste products. It is a uniquely local experience that lets you feel the steamy atmosphere of Beppu's Kannawa district.

Open-Air Bath

Soaking in the open-air bath while gazing at the garden relaxes both body and mind. By day you can take in a Japanese garden landscape, and by night you can bathe under a starry sky — a luxurious way to spend your time. The open-air bath, of course, also sticks to 100% free-flowing source water.

Private Family Baths

For those who want to enjoy a hot spring in a private space, there are 14 types of family baths — 8 indoor-bath types and 6 open-air-bath types, each with its own atmosphere and design. Every family bath comes with its own private steam bath, so families and couples can enjoy the steam-bath experience too.

Other Hot Spring Facilities

You can enjoy the hot spring in many other forms as well, including a footbath, steam inhalation, and drinking the spring water. The drinking spring, known as the "Lucky Spring" (Engi no Yu), is said to be effective for constipation and chronic gastrointestinal conditions.

Water Quality and Benefits

Characteristics of the Spring Water

The spring water at Hyotan Onsen is a "sodium chloride spring (weakly acidic, hypotonic, high-temperature spring)." A weakly acidic chloride spring is rare nationwide, and its metasilicic acid — a moisturizing component — is present at nine times the standard value, a top-class concentration. For this reason, it is also highly regarded as a "beautifying spring" (bihada no yu).

The source temperature is 100.4°C, the pH is 3.1, and the flow rate is an abundant 500 liters per minute. The facility's own bamboo cooling system, the Yumetake®, cools the water to a comfortable temperature without diminishing its mineral content.

Health Benefits

The hot spring water at Hyotan Onsen is said to offer the following benefits:

• Relief from neuralgia, muscle pain, and joint pain
• Improvement of frozen shoulder and motor paralysis
• Relief from joint stiffness
• Treatment of bruises and sprains
• Relief from chronic digestive disorders
• Improvement of hemorrhoids
• Improvement of poor circulation (sensitivity to cold)
• Recovery from fatigue and promotion of general health
• Improvement of chronic skin conditions
• Treatment of cuts and burns
• Relief from chronic gynecological conditions
• Improvement of chronic constipation

When taken as a drinking spring, it is also said to be effective for chronic digestive conditions.

Experiencing Japan's Traditional Sand Bath

What Is a Sand Bath?

The sand bath is one of Beppu's traditional bathing methods, in which you bury your body in sand warmed by hot spring heat to warm yourself all over. Because Hyotan Onsen warms its sand using hot spring steam, it stays at a gentler temperature than a typical sand bath, so you are less likely to overheat and can enjoy it longer.

Benefits of the Sand Bath

The sand bath has a strong sweat-inducing effect, and even people who don't usually sweat much will be surprised at how much perspiration pours from their whole body. Circulation improves and both body and mind relax, while the large volume of sweat flushes out waste products, so a detox effect and a slimming effect can also be expected. It has long been enjoyed as a beauty practice as well.

How to Take a Sand Bath

1. Purchase a rental sand-bath yukata and paper underwear at the front desk (bathing fee + ¥760).
2. Change into the special yukata and paper underwear in the changing room.
3. Choose a "medium-temperature" or "high-temperature" sand pit and dig until you find a comfortable temperature (be careful, as it gets hotter the deeper you go).
4. Lie down on the sand and cover yourself with sand, or take turns covering each other if you came with a companion.
5. Take your time and relax (no time limit).
6. Rinse off the sweat and sand thoroughly in the shower before moving to the main bathing hall.

Sand Bath Precautions

• Always rinse off the sand in the shower before moving from the sand pit to anywhere else.
• You cannot use the dining area or rest areas while wearing the yukata used in the sand bath.
• The sand bath and family baths cannot be used together.
• The sand bath cannot be used on its own, so it must always be used together with the main bathing hall.
• Watch out for low-temperature burns (from prolonged contact with the warm sand), and leave the sand bath immediately if you feel any discomfort.
• Please refrain from using the sand bath during menstruation.

Steam Bathing in the Mushiyu

Features of the Steam Bath

The mushiyu is a natural steam sauna that uses the steam rising from the hot spring. In Beppu's Kannawa district, you can see steam (yukemuri) rising all over town, a scene unique to this area. In the steam bath at Hyotan Onsen, you can feel the thick, billowing steam and its slow, deep heat across your whole body.

Effects of the Steam Bath

Warming your body thoroughly promotes circulation, and sweating heavily can have a detox effect. It also has strong beauty benefits and is said to help promote skin turnover. Experiencing the steam bath after the sand bath yields an even greater detox effect.

How to Enjoy the Steam Bath Effectively

Rather than staying in the steam bath for a long time on its own, you can enjoy it more effectively by alternating with the cold-water bath to cool down just enough between sessions. Combining it with the sand bath is also recommended — experiencing the steam bath after sweating plenty in the sand bath maximizes the detox effect.

Hot Spring Cuisine: Jigoku-Mushi Steamed Dishes

What Is Jigoku-Mushi Cuisine?

Jigoku-mushi ("hell steaming") cuisine is a traditional Beppu cooking method that uses hot spring steam to cook ingredients. Hyotan Onsen has an attached restaurant where you can try this jigoku-mushi cuisine. Steaming at the high temperature of the hot spring steam locks in the ingredients' natural flavor and nutrients.

Popular Menu Items

• Jigoku-Zukushi Set Meal (¥2,800, tax included)
• Assorted Steamer Basket (¥3,800, tax included)
• Jigoku-Mushi Butter Chicken Curry (¥1,200, tax included)
• Toriten Set Meal (¥1,400, tax included)
• Kabosu Udon (¥1,100, tax included)

You can use the restaurant on its own, without bathing. Enjoying the hot springs and jigoku-mushi cuisine together lets you take in the full appeal of Beppu's hot springs.

Admission Fees and Operating Information

Bathing Fees

Main Bathing Hall Admission

Adults can also buy a coupon book (10 visits) for ¥5,600 (for personal use only).

Family Bath Fees (1 hour, up to 3 adults)

Amenity Fees

• Rental sand-bath yukata (including sand-bath underwear): adults ¥760; children (ages 0 and up) ¥540 (yukata rental only)
• Towel: ¥250
• Rental bath towel: ¥200
• Nylon scrubbing towel: ¥250

The main bathing hall is stocked with shampoo, conditioner, body soap, and hair dryers.

Opening Hours

Opening hours are 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 a.m. (the following day).

• Last admission to the main bathing hall is until midnight (24:00).
• Sand bath registration ends at 10:30 p.m., with use until 11:00 p.m.

Closing Days

Closing days are irregular. There may be temporary closures for facility inspections, construction, and the like, so we recommend checking the official website. *Note: The facility will be temporarily closed for inspection and other work on Monday, June 9 through Friday, June 13, 2025, and on Thursday, June 26.

Getting There

Location

Located in the Kannawa district of Beppu, Oita Prefecture, it sits at the heart of Oita — the "Hot Spring Prefecture" — along the Yukemuri Kaido (Steam Road), at the entrance to Beppu's Kannawa area.

Transportation

• By car: about 10 min from the Beppu IC
• By bus: about 25 min from Beppu Station
• By train: about 2 hr 30 min from Hakata Station
• By ferry: about 12 hr from Osaka Nanko (South Port)

Beppu's Kannawa district is lined with many hot spring facilities and inns, where you can feel its distinctive steamy atmosphere. Enjoy the surrounding scenery along the way and soak up the mood of the hot spring town.

Services for International Visitors

Multilingual Support

Hyotan Onsen offers support not only in Japanese but also in English and Chinese, so international visitors can use the facility with peace of mind. The official website is available in English as well as Japanese, with detailed explanations of how to bathe and how to use the facilities.

Why International Visitors Love It

Thanks in part to its three-star rating in the Michelin Green Guide, many international visitors come here. The chance to experience uniquely Japanese hot spring culture, especially the sand bath and steam bath, is a major reason for its popularity. Its welcoming policy of allowing guests with tattoos is also highly appreciated by international visitors.

Support with Bathing Etiquette

For international visitors unfamiliar with Japanese hot spring culture, the facility provides basic information in multiple languages, such as how to wash before bathing and proper hot spring etiquette. The staff also offer attentive support, so even first-time visitors to a Japanese hot spring can enjoy it with confidence.

Nearby Tourist Attractions

Beppu Hatto Hot Spring Tour

Beppu has eight hot spring areas collectively known as "Beppu Hatto" (Beppu, Kamegawa, Shibaseki, Kannawa, Myoban, Horita, Kankaiji, and Hamawaki). Kannawa Onsen, where Hyotan Onsen is located, is known for its distinctive scenery of rising steam. Touring the Beppu Hatto lets you experience the unique hot spring culture of each area.

Beppu Jigoku Meguri (Hell Tour)

The "Beppu Jigoku Meguri" (Hell Tour) is one of Beppu's signature attractions. The sight of hot springs in various colors and shapes bubbling up genuinely calls to mind a scene of hell (jigoku), which is how it got its name. Touring the seven "hells" open for viewing lets you experience the diversity and power of Beppu's hot springs. They are also relatively close to Hyotan Onsen.

Yukemuri Observatory

The "Yukemuri Observatory" offers a sweeping view of Beppu's townscape and the steam rising from its hot springs. The view at dusk in particular is magical, making it a popular spot that draws many visitors. Of Beppu Hatto, the steam from Kannawa and Myoban is especially famous, and the view from the Kannawa district, where Hyotan Onsen is located, is exceptional.

Bamboo Crafts Traditional Industry Hall

This facility exhibits and sells Beppu's traditional craft of bamboo work. Beppu bamboo crafts have over 400 years of history, and their intricate techniques are designated as a national traditional craft. It makes a great stop for getting in touch with traditional Japanese culture between hot spring visits.

Summary

Hyotan Onsen is a flagship hot spring facility of Beppu, with over 100 years of history and a commitment to genuine, 100% free-flowing source water. With its many bathing facilities — the main bathing hall, sand bath, steam bath, open-air bath, family baths, and more — its appeal lies in offering a wide range of hot spring experiences in a single visit.

The bathing methods unique to Beppu, especially the sand bath and steam bath, are well received as fresh and valuable experiences for Japanese visitors and international visitors alike. There is also an attached restaurant serving jigoku-mushi cuisine, so you can savor the appeal of Beppu through both hot springs and food.

As the only hot spring facility to earn three stars in the Michelin Green Guide, its high quality is recognized internationally as well. For visitors to Japan, it offers an ideal opportunity to deeply experience Japanese hot spring culture.

When you visit Beppu, be sure to enjoy a genuine hot spring experience at Hyotan Onsen and spend a luxurious moment healing both body and mind. The distinctive scenery of rising steam and the 100% source water await you.

About the Information in This Article (Notes and Request)

*Please note: Fees generally vary by season and plan.

In particular, amid recent economic conditions and the recovery of inbound demand, fees may be under review as the environment surrounding tourism changes.

Treat the fees introduced in this article as a rough guide only, and when making a reservation, please be sure to check the latest information on each facility's official website or other sources.