Kurokawa Onsen

What to know

Kurokawa Onsen (黒川温泉) is one of Japan's most charming hot spring towns, nestled in central Kyushu about 20 kilometers north of Mount Aso. Thanks to coordinated efforts to preserve a traditional atmosphere, the town has avoided the concrete hotels, neon signs, and loud colors common in many other Japanese resort towns.

Instead, Kurokawa's landscape features natural colors and materials: wooden buildings, earthen walls, stone stairways, and a river flowing through. The compact town center sits in a forested valley and is easy to explore on foot, though a few ryokan are located a bit farther out.

The streets are lined with ryokan, public bathhouses, charming shops and cafes, a small shrine, and bridges that lead directly to ryokan entrances. Strolling in yukata and geta sandals provided by your ryokan is especially delightful. An information center in the town center offers maps and other useful information.

Kurokawa is famous not only for its picturesque town but also for the superb outdoor baths (rotenburo) of its ryokan. Some are set right beside a rushing river, while others impress with their size. Larger baths with great views tend to be a bit outside the center, while more central ryokan offer smaller, historic baths once enjoyed by the feudal lords of nearby Kumamoto Castle.

Overnight guests can enjoy their own ryokan's baths as often as they like, but both visitors and day-trippers can also explore other baths in town during the day through a "Rotemburo Meguri" (tour of outdoor baths).

A wooden pass (tegata) is available for 1500 yen, granting entry to three different ryokan baths of your choice (valid for up to six months). You can buy it at the information center or at over twenty participating ryokan. Alternatively, individual baths cost around 600 yen each. Check at the information center for any closures on the day of your visit.