Fukuoka

Fukuoka has 46 onsen areas and 422 springs (Ministry of the Environment, FY2024), with more than 1.57 million overnight stays a year; almost all of the water is pumped. Futsukaichi was sung of in the ancient Manyoshu anthology, Harazuru has the largest spa town in the prefecture along the Chikugo River, and Funagoya sits right next to a Shinkansen station, so the spas' appeal lies in how close they are to Fukuoka city.

Main onsen areas

Futsukaichi lies in Chikushino just south of Fukuoka city, and Hakata Onsen by Lake Nakagawa in the city's Minami ward. On the middle Chikugo River are Harazuru in Asakura, and Chikugogawa and Yoshii in Ukiha; Funagoya is on the Yabe River in Chikugo, and Wakita on the Inunaki River in Miyawaka in the north.

Characteristic spring types

Simple springs are the most common in our records, followed by radon, chloride and iron springs. Futsukaichi has simple and radon (radium) water; Harazuru combines alkaline simple, sulfur and bicarbonate springs and calls itself a 'double beauty bath'. Funagoya is an iron-bearing carbonated spring, and Hakata Onsen a calcium-sodium chloride spring.

Reachable by public transport

Futsukaichi is about 10 minutes' walk from Futsukaichi Station on the JR Kagoshima Line. Funagoya is right beside Chikugo-Funagoya Station on the Kyushu Shinkansen.

For solo travellers

Futsukaichi is a compact spa town of public baths and inns, pleasant for a stroll after bathing, with restaurants and a shopping street within walking distance.

Food & culture

Futsukaichi traces its founding back 1,300 years to the Nara period and is sometimes called the oldest spa in Kyushu; Dazaifu Tenmangu shrine is about 20 minutes away by car. Harazuru is named for cranes seen bathing on the riverbank, and river fish such as ayu sweetfish are its speciality. Chikugogawa, 'the home of fruit and folk pottery', is a designated National Health Resort Hot Spring, and Wakita, a spa since the Nara period, has a haiku walking path.