Beppu Onsen Road Trip: Horita, Shibaseki or Kiyosen?
Compare Horita, Shibaseki and Kiyosen by route, parking, cleaning closures, admission and private-bath availability.
Coming from Yufuin, Kuju or the expressway? Horita is the natural stop near Beppu IC. Already around Kannawa, or need a private family bath? Shibaseki has the widest choice of bathing, including the only family bath among these three. Heading north through Kamegawa toward Hiji? Kiyosen can be a quick stop, provided one of its five parking spaces is free.
Adult admission is only ¥50 apart between Horita and Kiyosen. The route, midday cleaning closure and parking capacity matter more than that small difference. For a comparison of the baths themselves rather than a driving sequence, see Beppu’s suburban municipal onsen guide.
| Driving situation | Best fit | Admission | Parking | Main constraint |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| From Yufuin, Kuju or Beppu IC | Horita Onsen | ¥300 | About 30 spaces | No private bath; cleaning closure 2–3 p.m. |
| Near Kannawa/Shibaseki or need a family bath | Shibaseki Onsen | ¥300; family bath ¥2,000 per 60 minutes | 35 spaces | No entry 1–2 p.m.; family-bath last reception 7 p.m. |
| Driving north to Kamegawa or Hiji | Kiyosen Onsen | ¥250 | Five spaces, including one accessible space | No outdoor or private bath; smallest lot |
Image: Beppu City, Kiyosen Onsen.
Horita fits the west-side approach
Horita is about three minutes by car from Beppu IC, with around 30 parking spaces. It works well before entering the city from Yufuin or Kuju, or as a last soak before heading back west. From the interchange, drive straight to the onsen car park; after bathing, continue into Beppu or back up the mountain rather than crossing town first.
The city lists an indoor bath and a public outdoor bath, with no family-use or other private bath. Adult admission is ¥300. Hours are 6:30 a.m.–10:30 p.m., with no entry during cleaning from 2 to 3 p.m. It closes on the first Wednesday of each month; if that falls on a holiday, closure moves to the following day. The water is a simple spring supplied by a free-flowing system. The current Beppu tourism page marks the facility as tattoo-friendly.
Horita is the wrong pick if everyone needs to bathe together, or if your route already has you in Kamegawa and heading north. Do not drive back west just to save ¥50 over Kiyosen.
Shibaseki is the most versatile single stop
Shibaseki makes sense from the Kannawa side, especially when different people in your group want more than the standard public bath. There is indoor bathing, an outdoor bath, a steam bath and a family bath. The family bath is the only private option among these three facilities.
| Shibaseki | Public bath | Family bath |
|---|---|---|
| Admission | ¥300 | ¥2,000 per room, up to four people |
| Hours | 7 a.m.–8 p.m.; closed for cleaning 1–2 p.m. | 9 a.m.–8 p.m.; last reception 7 p.m. |
| Session | — | 60 minutes |
The car park has 35 spaces. Shibaseki closes on the second Wednesday of each month, or the following day when that Wednesday is a holiday. The family-bath cutoff is earlier than the public bath’s, so arrive by 7 p.m. if you need a private room.
The indoor, outdoor and family baths are classified as simple spring water. The steam bath uses a separate sodium-chloride/sulfate spring, so its classification does not describe the family bath. The recorded source temperature of 53.5°C dates to a January 8, 2020 analysis at the storage-tank outlet; it is not a current pool-temperature reading. Beppu Tourism currently marks Shibaseki as tattoo-friendly.
For the family bath, arrive before the 7 p.m. last reception and check same-day availability. Horita involves less backtracking if you are heading west to the expressway.
Kiyosen is a northbound stop, not a place to wait for parking
Kiyosen is in Kamegawa, on the way toward Hiji. It has two indoor pools: a hotter bath and a milder one. There is no outdoor bath and no private bath. Adult admission is ¥250; hours are 6:30 a.m.–10:30 p.m., with a 2–3 p.m. cleaning closure. The regular monthly closure is the first Wednesday, shifted by one day when it falls on a holiday.
Its five parking spaces include one accessible space. If the lot is full, do not wait in a residential street or park where you should not. JR Kamegawa Station is about an eight-minute walk away, so the bath can be a better train-and-walk stop than a guaranteed car stop. Kiyosen uses a free-flowing simple spring, and Beppu Tourism lists it as tattoo-friendly.
Skip it if an outdoor or private bath is essential, or if a large car park is your priority. Its advantage is a low-cost soak while already heading north—not parking capacity.
Plan around cleaning and parking, not just the map
The midday closures are easy to miss when using navigation: Shibaseki admits no bathers from 1 to 2 p.m.; Horita and Kiyosen close from 2 to 3 p.m. A lunch stop can line up with exactly the wrong hour. For a 1 p.m. soak, do not head to Shibaseki; for 2 p.m., Horita and Kiyosen are the ones to avoid.
Horita’s roughly 30 spaces and Shibaseki’s 35 offer more capacity, but neither guarantees a spot. Kiyosen’s five spaces make a backup plan particularly important. If it is full, continue to another bath or park legally elsewhere and walk; do not idle in the neighbourhood. If a private bath is essential, call or check with Shibaseki before you set out, and arrive well before its last reception.
The city’s municipal onsen closure calendar is updated when closures are announced. Check the calendar on the day and follow notices at the facility. The source and opening information below was checked September 9, 2026; temporary maintenance can change the plan.
Tattoo access and private bathing are separate questions. Beppu Tourism currently marks all three as tattoo-friendly, but only Shibaseki has a family bath. Confirm any special requirement with the facility before driving over.
If you are staying near Beppu Station or Kitahama, a suburban detour may add more driving than it is worth. Try the central Beppu municipal-bath guide or the day-use private-bath comparison.
