Enjoy summer onsen in Kyushu♪ 10 recommended hotels and ryokan in summer resorts

Living in a city surrounded by concrete buildings under the strong summer sun, you feel not only physically hot, but also visually dull. You feel depressed and your body is tired. For all the women out there who work hard every day wiping away the sweat that is oozing out of them, why not take a trip to a Kyushu summer resort surrounded by nature and relax in a hot onsen?

Kyushu is located in the south of Japan, so many people may have the image that it's hot. In fact, being surrounded by nature, Kyushu has many summer resorts! Thanks to the cool climate, you can enjoy onsen even in summer. Relax and detox your body after working hard every day. This time, we will introduce you to some lodgings in Kyushu's summer resorts.

Located almost in the center of Oita, this inn is located on a quiet hill just a short distance from the town of Yufuin, known as the "Karuizawa of Kyushu" and a well-known summer resort. The approximately 5,000m2 site is surrounded by beautiful forest, allowing you to relax in the sunlight filtering through the trees. You can spend your time relaxing while looking at the scenery that can only be found on high ground, such as the open space where you can enjoy a leisurely foot bath at "Yufumi no Yu".

This hideaway-like inn surrounded by forest has two types of rooms: a detached house with an open-air bath, and a guest room in the main house. In particular, the detached house type rooms make you feel like you're visiting a villa. This "Mori no Hanare with Open-Air Bath" is a modern room that uses Ryukyu tatami mats. As it is a detached house with an open-air bath, you can spend your time by yourself without worrying about the people around you.

This inn is also known as a place where you can soak in the natural "blue water", which is very rare nationwide. If you stay in a detached room with an open-air bath, you can enjoy the blue water in your room, and if you want to relax in a spacious hot onsen, we recommend this large public bath! It is said that onsen is so gentle on the skin that you don't need to use lotion after bathing. Soak in the cool blue hot onsen in the sunlight filtering through the trees and detox your mind and body!

For dinner, try the "Taeyo Original" Kaiseki, a creative kaiseki course meal that is lavishly packed with locally grown vegetables and seafood delicacies. The course is updated monthly and consists of around 10 dishes, including the prefecture's Oita Wagyu beef brand and "fresh fish sashimi" served with five different flavors of soy sauce in a jelly, making for a nutritious dish that can only be enjoyed here!

This inn is located between the Okugo River and Shiramizu River, about a 20-minute drive from the Kokonoe "Yume" Suspension Bridge, the highest suspension bridge in Japan, in Oita. Originally a secret hot spring that opened in 1859 at the end of the Edo period, it opened as a onsen ryokan in 1928. This hot onsen inn is surrounded by beautiful nature, where you can spend your time in the sunlight filtering through the trees and listening to the sound of the trees swaying in the wind. Relax in a cool environment.

Why not spend some time relaxing and enjoying tea in a calm atmosphere reminiscent of the good old days? This is the "New Wing Japanese-style Room 10 Tatami Mats." It has a folk art style design with a black base, and you can sit on a chair by the window and gaze at the beautiful greenery outside. Taking off your shoes, stretching your legs out and lying down is a luxurious experience that you can't often have in your daily life.

This inn is one of the famous hot springs known as Kokonoe Kuto, and the attraction is that it offers a natural "cold spring" bath (the source is a cold onsen with a temperature of 13 to 14 degrees Celsius) only during the summer. It is also known as an inn where you can enjoy alternating baths in "onsen" and "cold spring," which is very rare nationwide. By alternating between the two, you won't get too hot and you can enjoy a long bath.

Starting with this "Ni-no-zen," this inn offers dinners that feature Bungo beef, a local specialty that Oita is proud of. meal At Yaeki, a restaurant where you can meal enjoy a table around a sunken hearth, the owner, who loves to drink, serves kaiseki cuisine interspersed with snacks that go well with sake. Enjoy the dishes with sake, shochu, wine, and other famous brands selected from all over the country.

It's about an hour and a half by car from Fukuoka city. This inn is located a little away from the center of Amagase onsen. The mountain lodge overlooks Sakurataki waterfall, a waterfall that is said to "shoot sprays like flowers," and is surrounded by beautiful trees. Get away from the hustle and bustle and enjoy the coolness of the sunlight filtering through the trees. You can also enjoy authentic cocktails during bar time at this lounge located inside the building.

This inn has guest rooms with different Japanese-style furnishings. The colorful scenery that can be seen from the windows of the rooms spreads out before you. The "Asamoya" room is one of the special rooms that are limited to three groups per day. It comes with a semi-open-air bath and a private terrace, so after relaxing in onsen, you can enjoy a nice chat on the terrace while cooling off!

Spend some time relaxing surrounded by the faint scent of sulfur and the sound of the mountain stream. This "Takimian" is a onsen building that sits quietly at the top of a long flight of stairs. Below you can see the beautiful scenery of "Sakura Waterfall". Enjoy the forest bathing while soaking in onsen and looking at the cool scenery.

At this inn, you can enjoy the bounty of Bungo, a treasure trove of food! Enjoy the "Omotenashi Kaiseki" course meal, which allows you to taste the seasons, including fresh seasonal fish, "Bungo beef" with its delicious melt-in-your-mouth flavor, and "Oita Kanmuri Jidori" with its concentrated flavor that is excellent as a soup stock. There are also delicious flavors that can only be enjoyed on a trip, such as freshly picked vegetables and Oita's specialty log-grown shiitake mushrooms!

This inn, nestled in the beautiful mountains on the banks of the Tsuetate River, is a very unusual inn in that it is located on the border between Kumamoto and Oita within the building. It is a wonderful environment where you can fully enjoy the coolness while listening to the sounds of the river babbling and the trees swaying in the wind. This is an inn where you can change into a yukata and relax in the evening breeze. In addition, there are onsen facilities dotted along the Tsuetate River, so you can enjoy bathing in each one!

The charm of this inn is that you can enjoy the flow of the Tsuetate River and the seasonal nature from the window of your room. All rooms, including quaint Sukiya-style rooms, Japanese-style rooms, and Japanese-Western rooms, are spaces where you can spend your time leisurely. Open the window and enjoy the coolness of the river as you listen to the murmuring of the river.

There are 11 hot springs on the premises, and the inn is known for its hot spring baths where you can enjoy bathing in different baths. There are 41 baths in total for both men and women at the 4 onsen facilities! A free minibus will take you to Kissho-no-Yu, which is a little away from the "mother nature." At Kissho-no-Yu, not only can you enjoy the open-air garden bath, but in the summer you can also enjoy the cold spring water in the "wooden bath."

Enjoy a buffet dinner with plenty of ingredients from Kyushu, including Kumamoto and Oita. Surrounded by traditional crafts such as Higo Temari from Kumamoto and bamboo crafts from Oita, this inn is located on the prefectural border, and offers the chance to enjoy home-cooked meals from both Kumamoto and Oita. In the open kitchen in the main corner, you can enjoy Kyushu specialties such as Akagyu beef hamburger, steaks carefully selected by the chef, grilled local vegetables over an open flame, and Kumamoto ramen.

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Located in Kikuchi Valley, one of Kumamoto's leading summer resorts and chosen as one of Japan's 100 famous waters, this inn is a detached inn with an open-air bath in every room. From spring to autumn, these red umbrellas are set up along the Kikuchi River, and on a first-come, first-served basis, you can enjoy a leisurely meal on the cool riverbed while listening to the sound of the babbling brook. It's an inn with many repeat customers that you'll want to visit again and again.

All rooms at this inn are detached and come with their own hot onsen which flow directly from the source. Furthermore, from every room, you can see the view of the Kikuchi River mountain stream outside the window. This is a room in the "Shinkura" detached room with semi-open-air bath, which was renovated in 2019. The stylish Japanese modern space and the terrace where you can relax after bathing are recommended points!

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This is a semi-open-air bath attached to a guest room in the Shinzo Wing. Beautiful greenery and the Kikuchi River spread out before you. It's nice to relax in the bath while feeling the cool air along the river. In addition, the main building also has a large public bath with separate indoor and outdoor baths for men and women.

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At this inn, you can enjoy creative kaiseki cuisine made with local ingredients for dinner. Enjoy ingredients that you don't usually get to eat, such as Kumamoto 's Kuroge Wagyu beef and fresh river fish, along with delicious locally grown rice. The riverside seating, available for use by only three groups per day, allows you to meal while listening to the babbling of the stream, so it's recommended for those who want to cool off!

Located in the northern part of Saga, this inn stands along the Kase River and is based on the concept of "giving back" to its guests, where you can receive hospitality filled with love. Surrounded by a beautiful garden that changes color with the seasons, this inn has "warm water" so you can relax and enjoy the hot onsen even in the hot summer, making it a recommended inn.

This is the annex VIP room "Kame-Man." This room was built to accommodate members of the imperial family, and now has a private panoramic bath. This is the only special space in the inn with a view of the garden, Kasegawa River, and mountains. Change into the work clothes provided as loungewear and enjoy a relaxing, luxurious holiday.

The inn's specialty, the "Natural Sand Bath," is covered in sand and is a lukewarm alkaline simple spring at 36°C. Why not enjoy a long soak in onsen that bubbles up from the sand? Since it is lower in temperature than regular onsen, it is less likely to make you feel hot, so you can thoroughly soothe your body that is usually overworked. You can also enjoy a private garden bath and a foot bath.

source:Contribution of Eno Torapisu

At this inn, you can enjoy a variety of dishes made with specially selected local Saga ingredients for dinner. Enjoy Saga's brand beef "Saga Beef," Hizen Sakura Pork, Arita Chicken, and other ingredients that you don't usually get to eat! Depending on the season, you can also eat the inn's signature dish "Carp Wash," which is boiled in hot spring water and then rinsed in cold water to remove the odor, making it a sure hit with everyone.

Unzen onsen is located at an altitude of about 700m, so the temperature is lower than on the plains, and it has been a popular summer resort since the Meiji period. This inn stands on the banks of the beautiful lake "Oshidori Pond" there. It is a Japanese resort space where you can enjoy natural hot onsen while looking at a superb view that will make you forget your daily life.

This is a special room overlooking Oshidori Pond. Outside the window is a magnificent view of Oshidori Pond, which changes color depending on the time of day. You can stretch your legs out on the tatami mat and sit back, or sit in a chair by the window and enjoy the cool view.

Outside the large windows, a beautiful, perfect landscape like a painting spreads out. In addition to the normal temperature indoor bath, this inn also has an open-air bath whose temperature changes depending on the outside temperature, and a hot cypress bath. It is said that alternating between the open-air bath, where the cool breeze unique to the highlands blows, and the hot cypress bath will enhance your health.

At this inn, you can enjoy kaiseki cuisine that allows you to enjoy the four seasons of Unzen with all five senses. No processed foods are used, and the cuisine is made with only nutritious ingredients grown in the nature of onsen. Enjoy the delicacies that can only be enjoyed on a trip, such as "onsen Steamed" inspired by Unzen Onsen, and "Kanzarashi", a local Nagasaki sweet made with Shimabara spring water.

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This inn is located in Ebino Kogen Onsen, the first area in Japan to be designated as a national park and the hot onsen onsen with the highest altitude in Kyushu. Because it is located at a high altitude, the temperature is lower than on the plains, making it a comfortable place to stay. Furthermore, because it is located in such a blessed environment, in addition to regular rooms, there are also facilities where you can enjoy glamping!

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This inn offers Japanese-style rooms where you can stretch out your legs on the tatami mats and relax, as well as rooms where you can enjoy hotel glamping. There are hammocks by the large windows, so you can enjoy the view of the sunlight filtering through the trees while swaying leisurely.

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The large communal bath has not only an indoor bath, but also an open-air bath and sauna. In the open-air bath, you can soak in onsen while feeling the cool breeze of the plateau! At night, you can enjoy a natural planetarium in the open-air bath, which is one of the attractions of this inn. Relax your body in onsen and soothe your mind while gazing at the starry sky.

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Enjoy the delicious Miyazaki brand ingredients at a restaurant with a spectacular view of Mt. Karakuni. Enjoy delicious meat to your heart's content, such as the "Shiratoriyama Kaiseki" where you can enjoy Kuroge Wagyu beef sukiyaki, or the "Karakuni-dake Kaiseki" where you can enjoy Kuroge Wagyu beef sirloin teppanyaki.

This inn is located at the foot of the Inoyae Valley, which has been certified as a "forest therapy base" with scientifically proven benefits for the body and mind, including the relaxing effects of forest bathing. In the front lobby, there is a bar counter where you can enjoy the beautiful forest scenery that spreads out beyond the large windows. The river flowing directly in front of you and the cool scenery enveloped in sunlight filtering through the trees are like a painting.

All rooms at this inn are detached. Choose the room that's best for you from among the rooms with a courtyard facing the river and an open-air bath. All rooms here, including the "Premium Suite Sora," have a terrace, so you can relax while feeling the soft breeze blowing through the forest!

The appeal of the "Premium Suite" room is the reclining bath with a "gazebo" where you can fully experience the beautiful nature. The reclining bath can be set to about 39 degrees Celsius, so you can enjoy the warm water, which is also a recommended point! Take a long, relaxing bath in the warm water while listening to the rustling of the trees and soothe your body and mind.

Dinner can be enjoyed in one of the 10 private rooms in the restaurant building, with Japanese and Western cuisine. Enjoy the fresh, locally produced ingredients that Miyazaki, an agricultural prefecture, is proud of. In addition to Miyazaki's specialty "Miyazaki beef" grilled on a stone, you can enjoy dishes that can only be found here, such as corn tofu and fresh sashimi, which are served in a summer kaiseki dinner. Wild wild vegetables that grow on the inn's grounds are also used!

It is about a 13-minute taxi ride from Ibusuki Station. This inn is quietly located in the Satoyama area of Ibusuki, and is a place where you can take a leisurely stroll around the vast grounds while enjoying nature. Because it is on high ground, there is a pleasant breeze even in the hot summer. There are 10 detached buildings and 7 Satsuma Villas with views of Kinko Bay and the Ibusuki townscape, and you can enjoy the pool all year round.

This inn has a Japanese-style annex and an Asian-style Satsuma Villa, so you can choose the room that suits you best. If you're looking for a cool place, we recommend the Satsuma Villa Luxury room! The view from the large, open windows is beautiful, and there's a onsen water pool in the garden, so you can stay cool during the hot summer.

Another attraction of this inn is that each room has its own unique open-air bath. You can enjoy the famous Ibusuki hot onsen whenever you like. It is adjacent to the onsen water pool, so you can enjoy alternating between the two baths. Enjoy a relaxing detox time in a private space away from the hustle and bustle.

This "Satsuma local cuisine" is recommended because it is a course where you can taste Kagoshima traditional local cuisine! Indulge in local ingredients such as braised black pork and sashimi with kibinago. Be sure to try the chef's special dish, chicken and vegetables, which are steamed in onsen water! Being able to experience the traditions and culture of Kagoshima through meal is also the charm of traveling.

What did you think of the "Hot onsen and cool inns in Kyushu" we introduced this time? As the temperature rises, it becomes harder to get rid of fatigue. When that happens, why not take the plunge and travel to Kyushu? Kyushu is located in the south of Japan, but there are many lesser known summer resorts. Enjoy a relaxing soak in onsen while feeling the coolness of nature with few people around.