Beppu Municipal Onsen Guide: Four Public Baths Compared

Checked: September 27, 2026

Beppu’s municipal baths are simple neighborhood onsen: low entry fees, indoor pools and a few practical differences that matter more than a long amenity list. Compare the layout, location and daily cleaning break before adding one to your route.

All four are natural, source-flowing public baths. None has a standard reservable private bath or an outdoor pool.

The first three are often easier for a short visit from central Beppu. Nageshi is in Minamimachi, and the city lists a bus from Beppu Station to the Nageshi Onsen-mae stop at about six minutes. A taxi or bus can be more appealing than walking out of your way just to save ¥50. Kaimonji, Furoisen and Nageshi each have a 2–3 pm cleaning break; check the city closure calendar as well, since maintenance can add temporary closures.

Kaimonji: a softer introduction to Beppu’s hot water

Kaimonji is about five minutes on foot from JR Beppu Station and has separate hot and cooler pools. It also has a step-free entrance, accessible toilet, grab rails and bath-use wheelchairs. Visitors transfer into the facility’s bathing chair to enter the bath, so anyone who needs that support should confirm the route and transfer details first.

The bath is open from 6:30 am to 10:30 pm, with no entry during the daily 2–3 pm cleaning break. Its regular closure is the second Monday of the month, subject to change around holidays.

Furoisen: roomier pools and access features

Furoisen is about five minutes from the station. The city describes its bathing area as the largest among its municipal baths; there are hot and cooler pools. It has a lift, step-free access, grab rails and bathing wheelchairs. These features make it worth checking first when someone in your group has mobility needs, but they are not a substitute for confirming the exact transfer and bathing setup.

It follows the same daily hours and cleaning break as Kaimonji. The usual closure day is the first Monday of the month.

Takegawara: standard bath or sand?

Takegawara is around ten minutes from the station. The main bath costs ¥300. Its sand bath costs ¥1,500 and requires no booking; visitors check in on arrival, and waits are possible. The building is part of the appeal, but the sand bath is a separate activity that needs more time than an ordinary dip. Children must be at least six to use it.

The sand bath has its own last reception (9:30 pm) and can stop accepting guests earlier if it is busy. Allow time to change into the supplied yukata, wait, rinse and change back; the ordinary bath itself is much more basic and does not have regular showers. After a sand-bath session, guests can use the standard bath without paying its entry fee again. The bathhouse dates to 1879, while its present wooden building opened in 1938.

Find the steps, timing and current use conditions in our Takegawara Onsen guide.

What the spring figures tell you

These are source-analysis figures, not bathing-pool temperatures.

Current numerical analyses for Nageshi are unconfirmed. Pool temperatures are not provided by these source measurements.

Nageshi: the budget choice if it is already on your route

Nageshi is a basic indoor bath, not a destination to cross town for on price alone.

Beppu’s visitor listings mark these four baths as tattoo-permitted. The listings are venue-specific; do not assume the same rule applies at a hotel or another onsen.

A two-bath outing, without turning it into a checklist

If you want two contrasting stops, pair Kaimonji with Takegawara: one has the two-temperature layout, the other the historic setting and optional sand bath. Furoisen plus Takegawara works if a larger pool is the priority. Nageshi makes sense alongside Takegawara only when your route already takes you through Minamimachi.

You will spend more time changing and washing than soaking if you try to visit all four in one afternoon. Also avoid the 2–3 pm cleaning break at Kaimonji, Furoisen and Nageshi. Beppu City posts a municipal bath closure calendar; check it before setting out, especially if a specific bath is the point of the trip.

All four baths are shared and gender-separated. If you need a private bath or want to bathe together, use our Beppu private day-bath comparison instead.

Pack a small towel and basic washing items if you have them. Takegawara has no standard shower setup, and all four venues list some bathing supplies or amenities as paid extras; the small admission fee does not necessarily cover a fully equipped visit.

Sources

• Beppu City: Takegawara Onsen
• Beppu City: Kaimonji Onsen
• Beppu City: Furoisen
• Beppu City: Nageshi Onsen
• Beppu City municipal bath closure calendar
• Spring analysis: Kaimonji, Furoisen, Takegawara men’s bath, women’s bath and sand bath
• Beppu visitor listing: Takegawara
• Beppu visitor listing: Furoisen
• Beppu visitor listing: Kaimonji
• Beppu visitor listing: Nageshi

Tags: Beppu municipal onsen, Beppu public baths, Takegawara Onsen, Kaimonji Onsen, Furoisen, Nageshi Onsen