Official classification
Official spring-type name (as recorded)Sodium-rich bicarbonate spring; Wikipedia's infobox also lists it as a chloride spring
Appearance & feel
Colour and feel are listed only where a source states them. They vary by day and by bath.
What makes it special
One of Japan's three great 'skin-beautifying baths', famous for its slippery bicarbonate water, and for tofu that turns silky and clouds the broth when simmered in it.
Facilities come from the register (Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, official sites). Those marked "natural spring unconfirmed" are listed on the basis of their name only.
| Type | Gender | Source | Bath temperature | Free-flowing | Added water | Heated | Recirculated | Disinfected |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Indoor bath | Separate | Ureshino Onsen | Unconfirmed | Unconfirmed[2] | Unconfirmed[2] | Unconfirmed[2] | Unconfirmed[2] | Unconfirmed[2] |
| Private bath | Unconfirmed | Ureshino Onsen | Unconfirmed | Unconfirmed[2] | Unconfirmed[2] | Unconfirmed[2] | Unconfirmed[2] | Unconfirmed[2] |
From Ureshino-Onsen Station on the Nishi-Kyushu Shinkansen, take a JR Kyushu bus (for Sonogi / Ureshino Onsen Bus Centre) or a Yutoku bus (for Yunota) into town, about 13 minutes. The shinkansen is 5 minutes from Takeo-Onsen, 25 from Nagasaki and about 60 from Hakata (change at Takeo-Onsen). From Fukuoka, the Kyushu-go highway bus serves Ureshino Bus Centre and Ureshino IC.
A sodium-rich bicarbonate spring. The tourism association says its slippery water emulsifies skin oils and rinses them away, leaving skin smooth; Wataya Besso calls it silky and slick. The same chemistry is what makes tofu simmered in it turn soft and melting.
| Source | Source temperature | pH | Radon | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ureshino Onsen | Unconfirmed | 7.8 | Unconfirmed | no check date |
Across the river from Ureshino Onsen Park A two-storey wooden bathhouse in Taisho-romantic Gothic style, opened in 2010, with large baths and private rooms. Adults ¥450, 6:00–22:00 (last entry 21:30), closed the third Wednesday of each month.
Right in the middle of town and cheap, it is where you bathe alongside locals, and there is a wheelchair-accessible private bath.[2]
Inns, tofu shops and restaurants in town Simmered in spring water, the broth turns the colour of soy milk and the tofu goes meltingly soft. 'Ureshino Onsen Yudofu', made from local soybeans by five tofu shops in town, is served at inns, sushi bars and diners.
The spring's chemistry becomes the dish itself, something you can only eat here, and you can take some home.[4][5]
Inns around town Most inns accept day bathers, roughly 11:30 to 20:00. Licensed drinking fountains are at Taishoya, Wataya Besso, Kisenkan, Takasago and others.
A ¥2,200 book of 16 'onsen tickets' lets you hop between inn baths.[5][6]
Legend says Empress Jingu stopped here on her way home from war and saw a white crane, resting its wings in the river, fly off restored. Her wounded soldiers bathed there and healed at once, and her delighted cry, 'Ana, ureshii no' (oh, how joyful), gave the town its name.[11]
In the Edo period Ureshino thrived as a spa post town on the Nagasaki Kaido highway; the sites of its town gates and of the Omuraya inn, where the mapmaker Ino Tadataka stayed, survive. The tourism association says travellers eased their journeys with hot baths and yudofu.[12][4]
Onsen yudofu works because minerals in the spring water break down the tofu's proteins and melt it. Inns in the Ureshino ryokan association use a dedicated tofu made from local Fukuyutaka soybeans, and the Ureshino Onsen Yudofu Council has registered the name as a trademark.[4]
checked 2026-10-09
"Recommended" and "open" are recorded separately. Check the season for seasonal springs.
Dec · Jan · Feb — Cold months, when hot-spring tofu is at its most welcome
Made at five tofu shops in town, which also sell to take away or ship[4]
A tea district built on a Chinese pan-firing method introduced in the 15th century; many tea shops in town[6][11]
Home to a white catfish shrine where visitors pray for beautiful skin[12]
Take the bus from the shinkansen station into town. Start at Siebold-no-yu with the locals, eat onsen yudofu for lunch, taste Ureshino tea in the afternoon, and use onsen tickets to try the inns' baths.
The "editors' guide" above is written by the editors from sources; it is not a visitor's opinion.
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Updated 2026-10-09
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