Japan Onsen Atlas温泉アトラス
Steam rising from spring equipment
Photo information
Ray_go CC BY-SA 3.0 View original page

Kyushu & Okinawa · Onsen district (group of areas)

Kirishima Onsen

きりしまおんせんきょう · 霧島温泉郷

Kagoshima · 霧島市

OpenNational Health Resort Onsen100 Onsen to Know Japan — No. 96
Save to passport

Official classification

Spring type (therapeutic classes)

Sulfur springSulfate springIron springChloride spring

Official spring-type name (as recorded)Kirishima Hotel (Iodani Onsen) lists four types under older naming: sulfur, alum, saline and iron springs. The foot bath at Kirishima Onsen Ichiba is a chloride spring

Source temperature
Unconfirmed
pH
Unconfirmed
Flow rate
Unconfirmed
Radon
Unconfirmed

Appearance & feel

Water colour · Feel

Milky white

Colour and feel are listed only where a source states them. They vary by day and by bath.

What makes it special

Halfway up the Kirishima volcanoes, steam rises all over the valleys, and a single inn can pour four different kinds of spring water.
Why?

Kirishima Onsen Ichiba describes the spa area as the collective name for nine springs, including Shinyu, Hayashida, Iodani and Maruo, noted for their variety. Kirishima Hotel says it draws four types of water, sulfur, alum, saline and iron, from 14 sources.[1][2]

Facilities in this area

Facilities come from the register (Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, official sites). Those marked "natural spring unconfirmed" are listed on the basis of their name only.

Hotel · Open

Kirishima Hotel (Iodani Garden Bath)

Day-use bathing
Yes
Fee
¥1,200checked 2026-10-09
Hours
11:00–17:00checked 2026-10-09
Official site
Baths3
TypeGenderSourceBath temperatureFree-flowingAdded waterHeatedRecirculatedDisinfected
Mixed bathingMixedIodani Onsen (sulfur, alum, saline, iron)UnconfirmedYes[3]Yes[3]No[3]No[3]Unconfirmed[3]
Open-air bathWomen onlyIodani OnsenUnconfirmedYes[3]Yes[3]No[3]No[3]Unconfirmed[3]
Open-air bathMen onlyIodani OnsenUnconfirmedYes[3]Yes[3]No[3]No[3]Unconfirmed[3]
Foot bath · Open

Yukemuri-no-sato foot bath, Kirishima Onsen Ichiba

Day-use bathing
Yes
Fee
¥100checked 2026-10-09
Hours
8:30–18:00checked 2026-10-09
Official site
Baths1
TypeGenderSourceBath temperatureFree-flowingAdded waterHeatedRecirculatedDisinfected
Foot bathMixedChloride springUnconfirmedUnconfirmed[1]Unconfirmed[1]Unconfirmed[1]Unconfirmed[1]Unconfirmed[1]

Getting there

Reachable by public transport

From Kagoshima Airport, take the route bus bound for Kirishima Iwasaki Hotel (about 30 minutes) and get off at Maruo. From JR Kirishima-Onsen Station on the Hisatsu Line, buses and taxis serve the springs (about 20 minutes by car). The 'Memory Line' bus runs from Maruo to Ibusuki Station in about 2 h 18 min.

Getting there
Kirishima-Onsen Station ·
Checked
2026-10-09
Show on mapOpen in Google MapsOfficial site

About the water

The Kirishima spa area is a group of springs on a volcano's flank, and the water changes from place to place. At Kirishima Hotel's Iodani source, water at 48–60 °C flows at about 10,000 litres a minute and is used as four types: sulfur, alum, saline and iron. The sulfur 'Bihaku' tub runs milky white. The hotel's notice says water is added but not heated, and the baths are free-flowing. These are older category names; the current formal classification could not be read. The hotel lists neuralgia and muscle pain among indications while noting results vary, and we make no medical claims.

Indications (as posted on the analysis)

Posted by Kirishima Hotel: neuralgia, muscle pain, joint pain, poor circulation, fatigue, general health and others

Indications are an official statement based on the water analysis, not a guarantee of treatment. They are kept separate from opinions.

SourceSource temperaturepHRadonChecked
Iodani Onsen (Kirishima Hotel)UnconfirmedUnconfirmedUnconfirmedno check date

Three things not to miss

Hotel building lit by low sun
Photo information
Totti CC0 View original page
01

Iodani Garden Bath, Kirishima Hotel

Iodani Onsen This is now the only inn supplied by the Iodani springs. Fourteen sources deliver 14 million litres a day, split into sulfur, alum, saline and iron water across the tubs. The central standing bath is 25 m long and 1.4 m deep. Day bathing 11:00–17:00, adults 1,200 yen.

You can walk from cloudy sulfur water to tubs of quite different colour and feel without leaving the bathhouse: Kirishima's variety in one place.[2][3]

02

The water Ryoma and Oryo bathed in

Iodani and Einoo springs In 1866 Sakamoto Ryoma, recovering from wounds received at the Teradaya Incident, came to Kirishima with his wife Oryo, on what is called Japan's first honeymoon. Iodani is said to be one of the springs they bathed in, and Kirishima Hotel displays material about Ryoma.

You can bathe in the same valley a hero of the Meiji Restoration chose for his recovery, a reminder of when hot springs were places to heal.[2][5]

03

Foot bath and steam cookers at Kirishima Onsen Ichiba

Maruo, the centre of the spa area The hub of the area, with a tourist office, souvenir shops and places to eat. In the square there is a covered foot bath (40–45 °C chloride water, 100 yen including towel), and eggs steamed for an hour over spring vapour cost 100 yen each.

It is a minute's walk from the Maruo stop where buses from Kagoshima Airport arrive, so you can get your feet in the water before you even check in.[1]

The story

A gathering of springs

Kirishima Onsenkyo is not a single town but the name for springs scattered over the flanks of the Kirishima range. Kirishima Onsen Ichiba lists nine, Shinyu, Hayashida, Iodani, Maruo, Kurikawa, Yunotani, Tonoyu, Sekihira and Nonoyu, while Kirishima Hotel speaks of 'eight large and small'. Maruo is the hub, and steam from the sources rises all over the valleys.[1][3]

Japan's first honeymoon

In 1866 Sakamoto Ryoma and Oryo travelled to Kirishima so that Ryoma could recover from wounds suffered at the Teradaya Incident, a trip now called Japan's first honeymoon. According to Wikipedia they visited both Iodani and Einoo springs. In the early Showa era the poets Yosano Akiko and Tekkan also stayed at Iodani, and Kirishima Hotel's outdoor baths bear their names.[2][3][5]

Water shaped by the volcano

According to Wikipedia, Iodani was found in 1714 and Maruo in 1819. Today all of Iodani's water goes to Kirishima Hotel, where 14 sources flow straight into the tubs. That one inn can offer four kinds of water shows how many separate paths the hot water takes beneath the volcano.[5][3]

Going solo

Easy for solo travellersUnconfirmed
Weekend / peak restrictionsUnconfirmed
Where to eat dinnerPlaces to eat at Kirishima Onsen Ichiba (hours vary by shop)
Private bathUnconfirmed

checked 2026-10-09

Through the year

Recommended months

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

Months open

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

"Recommended" and "open" are recorded separately. Check the season for seasonal springs.

Dec · Jan · Feb — Up on the mountain; the Ryokkei Yuen outdoor bath at Einoo closes in winter (Wikipedia)

Food, culture & experiences

Available / bookable

Steamed snacks at the Onsen Ichiba

Eggs steamed in spring vapour (100 yen each), mugwort onsen manju, sweet potatoes and corn (200 yen each)[1]

1 minute from the Maruo stop

Editors' guide

Take the bus from the airport to Maruo, rest your feet in the market's foot bath with a steamed egg, then head to the Iodani Garden Bath at Kirishima Hotel. The centre of the bath is a mixed free zone; use the single-sex zones if you prefer. Avoid Wednesdays, when the main bath is closed to day visitors.

The "editors' guide" above is written by the editors from sources; it is not a visitor's opinion.

Photo gallery

Visitor reviews

No reviews yet. While the review platform is being prepared, we do not display fictional reviews or ratings.

Review posting is in preparation, with visit date, facility, comments on water, scenery and access, photos, language and reporting.

Onsen areas in this district

Onsen areas nearby

Unconfirmed & notes

  • Current formal spring classifications, and temperature or pH by source, were not confirmed
  • Sources disagree on the number of springs: nine (Kirishima Onsen Ichiba) or eight (Kirishima Hotel)
  • Bus frequency and time from Kirishima-Onsen Station, solo-stay terms and tattoo policies were not confirmed
  • The Myoken Onsen association's access page mentions a road closure between Kurino and Kirishima Onsen (dates and current status unconfirmed)

Register sources

Data status

Name & locationPublishedCoordinatesPublishedSpring typePublishedPhotosPublishedFacilitiesPublishedVisiting info (dated)PublishedEditorial articlePublished

Updated 2026-10-09

Suggest a correction or addition