Kagoshima's Kirishima Onsen: One-Day Hot Springs, Access And More!

Kagoshima's Famous Hot Springs - Kirishima Onsen

Photo courtesy of: Kirishima City Tourism Association

Kagoshima prefecture is located in the southernmost part of Japan's Kyushu Region. The city of Kirishima was named after the surrounding Kirishima mountains, which is a well-known mountain range in Japan.

When gods ruled the world in ancient Japanese mythology, it was believed that the country's founding fathers were nine deities who descended from the skies. It's been said that their first point of contact was the Kirishima city area, now recognized as a land with a long and storied history.

At the Kirishima Hot Spring area, visitors can enjoy a wide variety of onsen. They are all fed by water from nine different springs of various sizes, located at the base of Kirishima mountain.

Health Benefits of the Kirishima Hot Springs

Photo courtesy of: Kirishima City Tourism Association

In the Kirishima Hot Spring area there are eleven different kinds of hot springs, and the chemical and mineral composition of the spring water differs from place to place. While sulfuric springs are the most common here, there are also sodium bicarbonate saline springs, sodium chloride saline springs, and simple thermal springs.

Hot springs have many medicinal benefits including being helpful for sensitivity to the cold and physical fatigue. More specifically, sulfuric springs are good for arteriosclerosis, sodium bicarbonate saline springs, and sodium chloride springs can ease chronic skin ailments, and simple thermal springs can help those with chronic digestive disorders.

Getting to the Kirishima Hot Spring Area

Access from Tokyo

ANA (All Nippon Airways), JAL (Japan Airlines), Solaseed Airlines (codeshare flights with ANA), Skymark Airlines and others have daily flights from Haneda Airport to Kagoshima Airport, and Jetstar Airlines has service from Narita Airport. Flight time is two hours in total.

Access from Osaka

ANA and JAL both have daily service from Osaka's Itami Airport to Kagoshima Airport, and Peach Airlines flies daily from Kansai International Airport. Flight time is one hour and ten minutes.

For further information please read the following article, How To Reach Kagoshima From Major Cities Like Tokyo And Osaka.

Access from Kagoshima Airport to the Kirishima Hot Spring Area

From Kagoshima Airport there is a bus service to Kirishima Iwasaki Hotel, making it convenient for those who would like to go to Shioyu Onsen, Maruo Onsen, or Iodani Onsen. Travel time to Maruo Onsen is about thirty-five minutes and the one-way fare is 650 yen.

For those taking a taxi, the one-way fare to Maruo Onsen is about 6000 yen. Travel time by taxi is the same as by bus, about thirty-five minutes.

Access from Fukuoka

At Hakata Station in Fukuoka city, hop aboard the JR Kyushu shinkansen (bullet train) and go as far as Kagoshima Chuo Station. At Kagoshima Chuo Station, transfer to the Hayato no Kaze Limited Express train. Going as far as Kirishima Onsen Station will take from three hours to three hours and thirty minutes (including transfer time), and the one-way fare for unreserved seating is 10,980 yen.

To go from Kirishima Onsen Station to the various hot spring accommodations, please use a bus or taxi.

One-Day Hot Springs in the Kirishima Hot Spring Area

*Listed prices are not for accommodation, but for entry to the one-day hot springs only

Photo courtesy of: Kirishima City Tourism Association

Kirishima Hotel

Resembling a Japanese-style garden, the hotel's large pool area goes to a depth of 1.4 meters, allowing for tachiyu, or standing bathing. Here, there's a men's bathing area, a women's bathing area and also a co-ed bathing area. Visitors can enjoy a total of fourteen different springs, offering four varieties of hot spring water.

Kirishima Hotel
Address: Kagoshima, Kirishima, Makizono, Takachiho 3948
Hot Spring Fees: Adults 1000 yen, Children 500 yen (prices include tax)
Official Home Page： http://www.kirishima-hotel.jp/ (Japanese)

Kirishima Iwasaki Hotel

At Ryokkei Toen, located alongside a mountain stream in the middle of the forest, visitors can relax in eight different rotemburo, or open-air baths. Also, Miyama-no-Yu's large rotemburo offers an all-encompassing view of Sakurajima, an active volcano.

Kirishima Iwasaki Hotel
Address: Kagoshima, Kirishima, Makizono, Takachiho 3958
Hot Spring Fees: Adults 1550 yen, Children 1150 yen (all prices include tax) / For Miyama-no-Yu only: Adults 850 yen, Children 420 yen (all prices include tax)
Official Home Page： http://kirishima.iwasakihotels.com/en/

Kirishima Yunotani Sanso

At a building resembling a mountain lodge, guests can choose from three different types of onsen; the low-temperature sodium bicarbonate springs, the high-temperature sulfuric springs, and a spring with a mixture of chemical properties. There's also an open-air bath as well!

Kirishima Yunotani Sanso
Address: Kagoshima, Kirishima, Makizono, Takachiho 4970
Hot Spring Fees: 500 yen (including tax)
Official Home Page： https://en.mountaintrad.co.jp/kagoshima/kiri/yunotani/data.html

Kirishima Hot Spring Area - Recommended Ryokans

Photo courtesy of: Kirishima City Tourism Association

Kirishima Kokusai Hotel

Kirishima Kokusai Hotel is a facility with hot springs galore! There's a total of nine different kinds of springs, including an open-air bath and a giant communal bath, a lie-down-bath, a spring where you can walk around a sauna, and a bedrock hot stone spa.

Kirishima Kokusai Hotel
Address: Kagoshima, Kirishima, Makizono, Takachiho 3930-12
Official Home Page： https://www.kirishima-kokusai.com/ (Japanese site)

Ryokojin Sanso

At this facility that has simple thermal springs and sulfuric springs, visitors can enjoy seven different types of springs and foot baths, including an open-air bath with a commanding view of Sakurajima, and an open-air bath in the forest. There's even a hot spring where you can drink the water!

Ryokojin Sanso
Address: Kagoshima, Kirishima, Makizono, Takachiho 3865
Official Home Page：http://ryokojin.com/ (Japanese)

Hotel Kayotei

This open-air bath is nestled in a valley, and as you listen to the murmuring of the Amorigawa River flowing by, you can take a leisurely soak in the hot spring.

Hotel Kayotei
Address: Kagoshima, Kirishima, Makizono, Shukukubota 4124-5
Official Home Page：https://www.kayotei.jp/ (Japanese)

How to Fully Enjoy the Kirishima Hot Spring Area

Photo courtesy of: Kirishima City Tourism Association

Now that you're here in the Kirishima Hot Spring area, one place you'll want to visit is Kirishima Jingu Shrine, known for being a power spot. Ninigi-no-Mikoto, a deity who is considered to be one of the country's founding fathers in Japanese mythology, is enshrined here.

Also, if you take the Kirishima Kinko Bay cruise, you can get a good view of Sakurajima and the Kirishima mountain range from aboard the ferry.

Kirishima has a mild climate, but in the mountain regions the temperatures can drop considerably, so in the winter it's essential to bring proper clothing to ward off the cold. Also depending on the wind direction, even on days when it's not raining, it's possible that volcanic ash from Sakurajima could be floating in the air, so it's a good idea to bring a folding umbrella as well.

For information on how to relax in a hot spring please refer to the following article, Bath Culture In Japan: What Every Visitor Should Know Ahead Of Time.

**Travel times and transportation costs are based on information listed in the respective official home pages. This information is correct at the time of writing, May 2017. Please note that this information is subject to change.

Kirishima City Tourism Association

3878-114 Takachiho, Makizonocho, Kirishima City, 899-6603 Prefecture