Sasaguri Onsen Kanze no Yu: Day-Use Hot Spring Prices
Standing by the Narufuchi dam in Sasaguri, Kanze no Yu is a calm inn set in a quiet mountain fold. Its strongly alkaline water, with a pH above ten, is said to leave the skin smooth and is also called the bath of beauty. In the stillness you can enjoy the gentle water and a careful, refined meal.
Highlights
- A strongly alkaline bath of beauty with a pH above ten, smooth and slippery on the skin
- A quiet mountain location overlooking the Narufuchi dam
- Cuisine prepared by an owner who trained in Kyoto, making the food another pleasure
Enjoying the Seasons
Spring shows fresh greenery around the dam, and summer brings the comfort of a clear stream and cool green near the spring. Autumn frames the foliage that colors the surrounding hills, and in winter the smooth water gently warms a chilled body amid the mountain quiet.
Access and Basic Information
- Location: Sasaguri Town, Kasuya District, Fukuoka Prefecture
- Access: a few minutes by car from JR Sasaguri Station, or about 15 minutes from the Fukuoka interchange of the Kyushu Expressway
- Spring quality: a strongly alkaline spring with a pH above ten (bath of beauty)
- Day use: this is a calm, stay-focused inn, and the availability and hours of drop-in bathing or meal plans vary by season. Fees are roughly a thousand yen and up; confirming by phone before visiting is surest
Practical Travel Notes
- Best season and time: the fresh greenery of spring and the coloring around the dam in autumn are especially lovely, and weekdays are recommended to savor the mountain quiet
- Avoiding crowds: as an inn that values a calm setting, booking ahead is the norm, and a settled midday time suits drop-in use
- Time needed: two to three hours for a bath and a meal, or half a day to a full day combined with the sacred-site pilgrimage
- Nearby real spots: the Sasaguri eighty-eight sacred sites, the Narufuchi dam, and mountain walks on Mount Wakasugi, all within an easy car ride of central Fukuoka
- Budget sense: about a thousand yen and up for bathing alone, or a few thousand yen for a meal-included plan
A Quick Tip
Sasaguri is a quiet town known for its eighty-eight sacred sites. After a pilgrimage or a mountain walk, resting in the skin-friendly bath of beauty is a fine idea. The strongly alkaline water leaves a very smooth feel, so do not forget to moisturize after the bath.
Practical Information for Your Visit
- Spring quality: a strongly alkaline spring with a pH of 10.3. The inn cites the view of Dr. Yoshio Nakamizo, a hot spring therapy physician and professor emeritus of Kyushu University, that it contains trace amounts of hydrogen sulfide and radon
- Water temperature: slightly on the cool side. The inn recommends taking your time in the bath
- How to use it: the main options are staying overnight or coming for a meal. Accommodation starts at 12,000 yen (excluding tax) and the Kyoto-style kaiseki course from 5,500 yen (excluding tax). If you are thinking of dropping in just for the bath, the safest approach is to call in advance (092-947-0368)
- Opening hours: 11:00-20:00
- Address: 3053-8 Sasaguri, Sasaguri Town, Kasuya District, Fukuoka, on the shore of Narubuchi Dam
- Getting there (by rail): 15 minutes on foot from Chikuzen-Yamate Station on the JR Sasaguri Line. It is about 30 minutes from Hakata Station with no transfers, and about 30 minutes direct from Shin-Iizuka Station as well. From Fukuoka Airport, take the city subway to Hakata Station for a total of about 1 hour 30 minutes
- Getting there (by car): about 10 minutes from Fukuoka IC in the direction of Sasaguri
- Parking: available. You can also ask about a pick-up service
- The town-run bathing facility has closed: the bathing facilities and training room at Oasis Sasaguri, the Sasaguri Town General Health and Welfare Center, which used to be the easy drop-in option in town, ended 26 years of operation on March 31, 2026 (Reiwa 8). Anyone who planned a day-trip bath in the town will need to rethink their plans
- Reservations: at Kamenoya, reservations are the norm for both accommodation and meals. The inn will discuss arrangements according to your party size and budget
- Time needed: 2-3 hours for a meal and a bath. Allow half a day to a full day if you combine it with the pilgrimage temples or a hike on Mount Wakasugi
- Nearby: the temples of the Sasaguri Shikoku 88 sacred sites, the great cedars of Wakasugi (a forest therapy base) and Narubuchi Dam. It is only about 30 minutes by car from central Fukuoka
- What to wear and bring: the strongly alkaline water leaves your skin feeling very smooth, so moisturizer after the bath makes for a more comfortable visit
๐ Sources
The spring quality (pH 10.3, with trace amounts of hydrogen sulfide and radon), the view of Dr. Yoshio Nakamizo, the fact that the water is on the cool side, the inn's position as the only natural hot spring in Sasaguri Town, and the address, telephone number, opening hours, rail and road access and prices for accommodation and meals were confirmed on the official website of the ryokan Kamenoya (the top, bath, access and greeting pages). The parking, pick-up service and overview of the inn come from the Sasaguri Town Tourism Association page. The history of the Sasaguri pilgrimage (Jinin in the Tenpo era, Fujiki Tosuke in the third year of Kaei, and the pilgrimage in the second year of Ansei) is based on the History of the Sasaguri Sacred Sites page of the Sasaguri Town Tourism Association. The closure of the bathing facilities and training room at Oasis Sasaguri on March 31, Reiwa 8 was confirmed in the notice about ticket refunds on the official Sasaguri Town website. Details are subject to change, so please check the official information before you set out.
๐ Location & Access
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โ๏ธ About this article
This article is compiled by the Tabitabi JAPAN editorial team from official and primary sources, including facility and shrine/temple websites, tourism information published by municipalities and tourism associations, and cultural-property records released by national and local governments. Prices, opening hours and event dates may change, so please also check the official information of each facility or local government before you visit.