Takeo Onsen: A 1300 Year History Awaits In This Saga Hot Spring Town!

How to Get to Takeo Onsen

From Tokyo

Traveling By Plane
Travel to Fukuoka Airport by Haneda or Narita Airport and take the subway from the airport to JR Hakata Station. Transfer to either the Limited Express Midori (Japanese) or Limited Express Huis Ten Bosch (Japanese) trains and get off at Takeo Onsen Station. It will take approximately one hour and ten minutes to travel from JR Hakata Station to Takeo Onsen Station using the limited express train, and costs 3100 yen one-way. Travel fees and time will differ based on date, airline companies, and the limited express train taken.

Traveling By Bullet Train
Take the Nozomi shinkansen from Tokyo and get off at Hakata Station. Transfer to either the Limited Express Midori (Japanese) or Limited Express Huis Ten Bosch (Japanese) to go to Takeo Onsen Station. Your calculated travel time will also change depending on your departure and transfer times.

For more on how to travel from Tokyo to Hakata, please read Fukuoka Travel Guide – Visit One Of Japan’s Most Vibrant Cities!

From Osaka

Take the Nozomi shinkansen from Shin-Osaka Station to Hakata Station. Transfer to either the Limited Express Midori (Japanese) or Limited Express Huis Ten Bosch (Japanese) to go to Takeo Onsen Station. It will take approximately four hours.

For details on how to travel to Fukuoka or Hakata from Osaka, please read How To Travel From Osaka To Fukuoka.

Day Bathing Spots in Takeo Onsen

Takeo Onsen Public Baths

Photo courtesy of Takeo City Tourist Association

Upon passing under the romon, there will be three public baths ahead of you. Motoyu (Japanese) and Horai no Yu (Japanese) are 400 yen for adults and 200 yen for children. Sagi no Yu (Japanese) is 600 yen for adults and 300 yen for children. There are rotemburos (open-air baths) and saunas at Sagi no Yu.

Address: Takeo, Takeocho, Oaza Takeo 7425
Website: Takeo Onsen Public Baths (Japanese)

Taisho Romance Lodging - Kyotoya

Photo courtesy of Takeo City Tourist Association

This is a facility with an old-fashioned atmosphere which houses various rotemburo and indoor baths like the Himeyu (women’s bath) and Tonoyu (men’s bath). Each bath has their own water source. Additionally, the mist sauna is a low temperature that is gentle on the skin and is perfect for those who would like to unwind.

Address: Takeo, Takeocho, Oaza Takeo 7266-7
Admission: 1000 yen
Website: http://www.saga-kyotoya.jp/

Morino Resort Hotel

Photo courtesy of Takeo City Tourist Association

This is a verdant natural hot spring located on the lake shore. The public baths are laid out with tatami mats. There are also whirlpool baths, cold baths, and saunas alongside the rotemburo.

Address: Takeo, Takeocho, Oaza Nagashima 15750-1
Admission: 600 yen for adults, 300 yen for children
Website: https://morinoresort.jp/spa/ (Japanese)

Recommended Inns

Onyado Chikurintei

Photo courtesy of Takeo City Tourist Association

Located within Mifuneyama Garden, the inn is 150,000 tsubo (495,000 square meters) with only eleven distinctive guest rooms prepared. It is a prominent and famous inn with every room structured with a rotemburo, a moon-viewing area, and even a walkway in a section of the room.

Address: Saga, Takeo, Takeocho, Oaza Takeo 4100
Website: http://www.chikurintei.jp/

Yumotoso Toyokan

Photo courtesy of Takeo City Tourist Association

A well-established inn with a history dating back 400 years. It has been said that the tactician Musashi Miyamato, a figure active in the Edo period, worked on The Book of Five Rings, (a martial arts text), here. There are gensen kakenagashi (free-flowing spring) baths as well as large, spacious public baths. Cuisine arranged in bowls made by local kamamoto (*1) is also popular.

*1 Kamamoto: a person that makes pottery and porcelain.

Address: Saga, Takeo, Takeocho, Takeo 7408 (Onsen Street)
Website: http://takeo-toyokan.jp/ (Japanese)

Hotel Shunkeiya

Photo courtesy of Takeo City Tourist Association

This free-flowing natural hot spring is known for its beauty-enhancing waters that are gentle on the skin. You can enjoy an unbroken view of the city of Takeo from Takeo Onsen’s only viewing rotemburo on the hotel’s top floor.

Address: Saga, Takeo, Takeocho, Oaza Takeo 7407
Website: http://www.syunkeiya.jp/access.html (Japanese)

Fun Places to Enjoy

Mifuneyama Garden

Photo courtesy of Takeo City Tourist Association

Mifuneyama Garden was originally a garden owned by a Takeo ryoshu (*2) and stands 150,000 tsubo (495,000 square meters) large. It has been open for over 170 years. You can enjoy the landscapes of the seasons here: from 2000 cherry blossom trees, 200,000 azaleas, to large wisterias, Japanese hydrangeas, and vibrant fall foliage.

*2 Ryoshu: the individual who possesses the sovereignty of a region and its people.

Address: Saga, Takeo, Takeocho, Oaza Takeo 4100
Website: http://www.mifuneyamarakuen.jp/

Japanese Garden Keishu-en

A chisenkai yushiki-style (*3) Japanese garden. The harmony between the waterfall flowing from the large arrangement of garden stones and the wide tea field is magnificent! The Yoko Museum, constructed as if it were floating inside the nearby pond, is also located inside the garden.

*3 Chisenkai Yushiki: a style of Japanese garden. You can walk around the pond and on the paths in the surrounding area.

Address: Saga, Takeo, Takeocho, Takeo 4075-3
Website: http://www.yokomuseum.jp/keisyuen.html

Takeo Library

Photo courtesy of: Takeo City Tourist Association

With a coffee shop also located inside, this extensive, unique library is certainly worth seeing.

For more details, please read Café? Library? Takeo City Library.

Address: Saga, Takeo, Takeocho, Oaza Takeo 5304-1
Website: Takeo Library (Japanese)

In Conclusion

Aside from the highlights we have introduced in this article, there are also various other programs in Takeo Onsen such as the Pottery Workshop Experience (Japanese) and the Complete Geisha Experience (Japanese). Please come and enjoy this hot spring town full of charm.

Takeo City Tourist Association
Address: Saga, Takeo, Takeocho, Showa 805
Website: http://www.takeo-kk.net/