Kimiyoshi Hot Spring

It's relatively close to Yukawauchi Onsen Kajikaso, and I visited after reading reviews on Google Maps. A very personal five-star rating. The exterior doesn't really look like a public bath. If you're driving, it's more convenient to set Nobata Osteopathic Clinic, located in Kimiyoshi Onsen's private parking lot, as your navigation system's arrival point. It's only a short walk away. As I was heading to the bathhouse with my toiletries in hand, an older woman called out to me. She politely explained that the reception desk was unmanned, so I could just write my name on a notepad and leave my money there. She smiled and said, "I'll just take a nice long soak." I really appreciate her kindness, even though I'm an old man who didn't know me. The information I received made things go smoothly. I previously had trouble at a public bath in Ibusuki because there was no one at the reception desk, so this time it was a breeze. By the way, the adult fee is 400 yen, so be sure to bring some coins. There was a kotatsu (Japanese table heater) figurine-like table at the small reception desk. There are two baths peeking into the setting sun: one hot and one warm. The warm bath has a stronger flavor. The water volume is quite good and very salty. My shaved chin and insect bites sting for a while. I went to a similarly amazing chloride spring in Nishitsugaru, Aomori Prefecture, over New Year's this year, but this one is even more stimulating. The chloride hot spring with over 10,000 positive and negative ions is amazing. The artificial chloride springs at super sento make your anus hurt, but this one is efficient. They also have a room where you can relax after your bath and juice. When I left the money for my Coca-Cola on the note on my way out, they added "Thank you" next to my name. Other people have commented on how kind they were in their reviews, and I wondered if a neighborhood like this still existed. The sento and people were a perfect culmination of the Showa era. Thank you.

Bontan Onsen As a child, I often ate bontan candy and Hyoroku mochi. This hot spring has a poster that looks just like the packaging for bontan candy. I'm not sure why, but perhaps the color of the water is reminiscent of bontan candy. The hot spring is usually unmanned, and the owner also works at an osteopathic clinic behind it. If you've collected stamps from the Kyushu 88 Hot Springs program, there's a phone number at the front desk. If you call, they'll come rushing over in 2-3 minutes from the osteopathic clinic behind it. The person who arrived dressed in osteopathic attire was very nice. There's no parking lot directly in front, so you have to park in the designated monthly parking lot behind it or at the osteopathic clinic, which can be a little confusing, so be careful. The water is similar in color to a moor spring, but it's a chloride spring. There are hot and lukewarm baths, the hotter one being a clear yellow. The taste is a sharp, salty flavor, even saltier than bontan candy. It's also quite stimulating on the skin. The stimulation is quite strong so it's not suitable for long baths, but I thought it might be great for people with lower back pain if they used it in conjunction with an osteopathic clinic.

January 24, 2026, Evening Bath I arrived just before 6 PM, parked my car in the parking lot of an osteopathic clinic I'd researched beforehand, and walked there. A cheerful, welcoming young lady greeted me as I walked through the entrance. Luckily, there was only one other customer there. The entrance fee was 450 yen, the shoe lockers were free, and the lockless changing lockers and baskets were free. It was a hot spring bathhouse without soap, and it felt so Showa-era, it brought back memories. The bathroom had a single bathtub, partitioned off from the inside. The bathtub with the water spout on the right, as seen from the changing room, was 40°C on the thermometer, while the one on the left was 38°C. The water was slightly cloudy, smelled of iron, and was a strong salt spring. There were eight washing areas and fixed showers. The previous customer had left, and no other customers came after, so I was bathing alone.The water temperature was not very high, so I took my time soaking, took a break at the washing area, and then soaked again, repeating this process, and I was able to enjoy the nice water for about an hour.

It has the feel of a public bathhouse in a residential area. It's about a 10-minute walk from Akune Station on the Hisatsu Orange Railway. At first, I didn't even know where it was. As you can see from the photo, it's not particularly conspicuous. It's a simple bathhouse with just a washing area and two bathtubs. One of them is lukewarm. Of course, there's no shampoo or other amenities. There's air conditioning in the changing room, which you can turn on and off yourself. The water is really good. It's a weakly radioactive chloride spring, with a source temperature of 45.5°C. It contains a fair amount of iron, making it cloudy. Even a short soak in the lukewarm water will warm you up. There's a rest area, and they also sell cold drinks. When I visited, the Akune Onsen Festival was being held, and the proprietress gave me a festival tenugui (hand towel). It's one of Kyushu's 88 hot springs.

The entrance only had "Kimiyoshi Onsen" written on it, and there were no other landmarks or signs, so I walked right past it. It was an old, dilapidated facility that made me hesitate to enter. I mustered up the courage to open the door, and a cheerful, smiling woman greeted me with a bright voice. I couldn't help but smile back. The bath itself had signs that made me feel like I'd traveled back in time to the Showa era, creating a truly nostalgic atmosphere. According to an elderly woman who was already there, the water is very salty, so if you get out without rinsing, you'll feel sticky; it's best to rinse off quickly before leaving. There are two bathtubs, one with hot water and one with lukewarm water.