Chikushino Tenpai no Sato: Day-Use Hot Spring Prices

Set on the slope of Mount Tenpai and offering natural water from deep underground, Tenpai no Sato is a day spa proud of grand open-air baths that command a view all the way to Dazaifu and Mount Homan. You can soak slowly while gazing over the town of Chikushino and the distant ridgelines.

Highlights

• Scenic open-air baths on the slope of Mount Tenpai with a wide, open view toward Dazaifu
• Water drawn from a natural source about 1500 meters underground, with care taken over its quality
• Well-rounded facilities with family baths using the natural water and a healthy-food buffet

Enjoying the Seasons

Spring shows the fresh greenery of Mount Tenpai, and summer makes the open-air baths pleasant as a breeze crosses the slope. Autumn brings colored ridgelines, and in winter you can gaze over the streets of Dazaifu beyond the rising steam, enjoying the high-ground view through every season.

Access and Basic Information

• Location: around Tenpaizaka, Chikushino City, Fukuoka Prefecture
• Access: about 10 minutes by car from JR Futsukaichi Station, or about 10 minutes from the Chikushino interchange of the Kyushu Expressway. Parking for about 200 cars
• Spring quality: a simple spring rising from about 1500 meters underground
• Day use: on weekdays 770 yen for adults, on weekends and holidays 880 yen for adults, 350 yen for primary-school children and 200 yen for ages 2 and up (special rates in peak periods). Open 10:30 to 24:00 (reception until 23:00), closed the second Tuesday (or the next day if it is a holiday). Family baths and a healthy-food buffet are also on site

Practical Travel Notes

• Best season and time: the scenic open-air bath is especially lovely at dusk, when the light sets toward Dazaifu. The fresh-green and foliage seasons are also recommended
• Avoiding crowds: weekend evenings and the peak of Dazaifu sightseeing are busy, so weekdays or the early afternoon are more relaxed
• Time needed: one to two hours for bathing alone, or about half a day including a family bath and the buffet
• Nearby real spots: Dazaifu Tenmangu, the Kyushu National Museum, the trails of Mount Tenpai, and the public baths of Futsukaichi Onsen
• Budget sense: bathing runs from a few hundred to under a thousand yen. Even with the buffet and a family bath, about two thousand yen per person is enjoyable

A Quick Tip

The scenic open-air bath is especially fine in the evening. After sightseeing in Dazaifu, a single soak with the high-ground scenery makes a lovely close to the day. As it stays open late, it is also perfect for winding down at the end of a day.

Practical Information for Your Visit

• Spring quality: a simple spring (neutral, hypotonic). The official website lists neuralgia, muscle pain, joint pain and recovery from fatigue among its benefits, and explains that the water is rich in iron
• How the water is used: this is natural hot spring water drawn from 1,500 meters underground, and the family baths are 100 percent free-flowing natural hot spring water
• Opening hours and closing days: both the large public baths and the family baths open at 10:30 and close at 24:00 (reception until 23:00). The facility is closed on the second Tuesday of each month, and when the second Tuesday falls on a public holiday or similar the closure is moved to another day. On the day after a closing day, the men's and women's large baths are swapped
• Bathing fees: adults (18-64) 1,090 yen, seniors (65 and over) 990 yen, ages 13-17 890 yen, children (7-12) 590 yen and small children (4-6) 490 yen. During the Obon period from August 11 to 16 a special rate applies with 200 yen added to each category. A book of 10 tickets costs 9,900 yen. With a 500 yen enrollment fee you can become a card member, which brings adult bathing down to 900 yen on weekdays and 990 yen on weekends and public holidays
• Re-entry to the bath: if you have your hand stamped at the bathing reception when you leave the bath area, you can bathe as many times as you like that day as long as you stay inside the building
• Family baths: six rooms in total, by reservation. For 60 minutes the price depends on the size of the tub: 3,000 yen (Oki), 3,400 yen (Iwaya, Homan, Sangun and Onechi) and 3,800 yen (Tenpai). Weekends and public holidays cost 1,000 yen more per 60 minutes and the Obon period 1,200 yen more. The price covers up to five adults, and from the sixth person an extra 500 yen per person per 60 minutes is added. Courses of 120 and 180 minutes are also available. Reservations are taken by telephone from one month in advance, and the four rooms Iwaya, Homan, Sangun and Tenpai can also be booked online
• Supplies: body soap, shampoo and conditioner are provided in the large bathing areas. Face towels are sold for 200 yen and bath towels rented for 300 yen. Each family bath room is supplied with two towels and two bath towels, along with shampoo, body soap and moisturizing gel for babies and toddlers. Children's shampoo and conditioner are lent free of charge at the front desk
• Visiting with children: children who are not yet out of diapers cannot enter the tubs whatever their age. A baby bath is provided in the large bathing area. Under Fukuoka Prefecture regulations, children aged 7 and over cannot use mixed bathing
• Footing and steps: reaching the family baths involves going up and down 20 steps, and there is no elevator. If you are coming with a stroller or wheelchair, it is safest to consult the facility in advance
• Tattoos: if you are concerned, the sure options are to call and check in advance or to use a private family bath
• Payment: cash, credit cards and various QR code payment services can be used. Transport IC cards are not accepted
• Parking and crowds: there is a car park attached to the facility, but it becomes very busy on weekends and public holidays, when you may wait 10-20 minutes to park. Please allow plenty of time
• Getting there: from the west ticket gate of Nishitetsu Futsukaichi Station, take Nishitetsu bus No. 22 bound for Hirata and get off at the fourth stop, Tenpaizaka Daisan. From there it is a walk of about 900 meters uphill, taking 15-20 minutes. Buses run about once an hour, so check the departure times. Between 10:00 and 22:00 the facility will send a van to meet you at that bus stop if you call in advance. There is no bus running directly from JR Futsukaichi Station to the facility, so take a taxi, which takes about 10 minutes (roughly 1,400 yen). From Nishitetsu Futsukaichi Station a taxi also takes about 10 minutes (roughly 1,300 yen). By car it is about 10 minutes from the Chikushino Interchange on the Kyushu Expressway
• Meals: the natural food buffet Himebotaru serves lunch 11:30-15:00 (last entry 14:00) and dinner 17:30-21:00 (last entry 20:00). On weekdays only there is a set deal with the large baths: lunch plus bathing for 3,500 yen and dinner plus bathing for 4,000 yen. If you reserve the kaiseki restaurant Tenbo Okuzashiki, use of the large baths that day is free
• Time needed: 1-2 hours for bathing alone, or about half a day if you combine a family bath and a meal
• Address and enquiries: 2-4-3 Tenpaizaka, Chikushino City, Fukuoka 818-0053 / 092-918-5111 (reception 10:15-23:00)
• Worth combining with: the trail up Mount Tenpai and Tenpaizan Historical Nature Park, Dazaifu Tenmangu Shrine and Futsukaichi Onsen

📚 Sources

The opening hours and closing days, bathing fees and the special Obon rate, ticket books and card membership, the names and prices of the family bath rooms, the supplies and towel prices, the rules for children not yet out of diapers, the payment methods and the 20 steps up to the family baths were all confirmed on the pages and FAQ of the official Chikushino Tenpai no Sato website. The directions from the Tenpaizaka Daisan stop on Nishitetsu bus No. 22, the pick-up service and the taxi journey times and approximate fares also come from the access page of the same site. The elevation of Mount Tenpai, the origin of its name and the legend of Sugawara no Michizane were checked on the official website of the Japan Heritage site The Western Capital of Ancient Japan. Opening hours, prices and closing days are subject to change, so please check the official information before you set out.