Chidori no Yu in Kumanokawa: A Warm Bath and a Slower Pace
Chidori no Yu costs ¥600 for adults; its reservable 55-minute family bath is ¥1,500 extra, with admission charged per bather.
Chidori no Yu is a useful stop when you want time to settle into a bath rather than move quickly through a compact public bathhouse. The indoor baths pair a milder pool suited to longer soaks with a hotter “agari-yu” for warming up at the end. There is also an outdoor bath facing the hills, a sauna, restaurant and rest space.
It is in Kumanokawa Onsen, in Fuji-machi north of central Saga—not in the better-known Ureshino or Takeo resorts. If you are planning a Kyushu hot-spring trip, the Kyushu onsen destination guide can help place it in a wider route.
Prices, hours and what to bring
| Day-use detail | Current information |
|---|---|
| Adults, high-school age and older | ¥600 |
| Children, ages 6 through junior high | ¥350 |
| Family bath | ¥1,500 for 55 minutes, plus admission for each person; reserve ahead |
| Opening hours | 10 am–9 pm |
| Regular closure | Third Thursday of each month; if it falls on a public holiday, the closure moves to the following day |
| Amenities | Shampoo, conditioner, body wash and hair dryers provided |
Two adults using the family bath pay ¥2,700 in total: the ¥1,500 room fee plus two ¥600 admission fees. The room charge alone is not the all-in price. The facility says this bath is wheelchair-accessible, but it does not publish measurements or transfer equipment details; call before visiting to discuss what you need.
Bring your own towels if you want to keep costs down. The facility sells a small towel for ¥200 and a bath towel for ¥800. Credit cards and several cashless payment services are accepted. Saga City residents can get a lower evening rate from 5 pm by showing proof of address; it is not a tourist discount.
What makes it different from a quick public-bath stop
Kumanokawa is known for warm, low-temperature water that suits a longer soak. Chidori no Yu’s current bath description is unusually direct about how to use the indoor pair: stay in the milder pool if you want more time in the water, then move to the hotter finishing bath when you are ready to warm up. The local tourism association lists the spring as a simple weakly radioactive spring, low in osmotic pressure and alkaline, and describes it as clear, colourless and odourless.
The facility also has an outdoor bath, sauna, a restaurant and a tatami rest area. Those extras make it easier to turn the visit into a leisurely break—especially if you are travelling with someone who prefers to rest between soaks. This is not a large resort with a long menu of themed pools, though; the appeal is the gentler bathing pace and the practical facilities around it.
The public information does not give current, dated values for the spring’s exact pH, radon concentration or source temperature. Saga City’s management review lists heat-exchanger operation, bath-water circulation and routine water-quality checks among the facility’s maintenance work, but does not identify which treatment applies to each individual tub. If 100% source flow with no circulation is essential to you, the published information is not enough to confirm that for every bath.
Getting there from Saga without a car
Showa Bus runs between Saga Station Bus Center and the Kumanokawa/Furuyu area. Its “Nuruyu Kutsurogi Ticket” bundles part of the bus fare and bath admission, but does not cover the full entry price.
| Ticket component | Amount |
|---|---|
| Ticket price | ¥1,800 |
| Bus fare included | ¥1,500 |
| Bathing voucher | ¥300 |
| Chidori no Yu adult admission | ¥600 |
| Additional adult payment at Chidori no Yu | ¥300 |
Bus departures are less frequent than city services. Check the timetable in both directions before leaving Saga, then set your bathing time around the return bus. It is easy to lose track of time when you have a meal or rest stop planned as well as a long soak.
By car, the facility says it is about 15 minutes from Saga-Yamato Interchange and has free parking for around 50 cars. The same side of the mountains has Lake Kitayama, Kasegawa Dam and other outdoor stops, so a car makes it easier to combine Chidori no Yu with a half-day drive.
If you are comparing other northern Kyushu baths, Siebold no Yu in Ureshino offers a different visit: a historic public bath in a hot-spring town rather than a hill-side facility built around a long, gentle soak.
Check before you go
The public bath operates daily except for the regular third-Thursday closure and the shifted closure when that date is a public holiday. Check the facility’s notice page before travelling for temporary changes. The family bath requires a reservation, and tattoo acceptance is not stated in the facility’s published bathing information; contact staff directly if either point affects your visit.
Sources
Official bath, access and regional transport information
- [Chidori no Yu: bath facilities, prices, family-bath terms and amenities](https://r.goope.jp/chidorinoyu/free/spa) - [Chidori no Yu: hours, closure day, parking and wheelchair-accessible family bath](https://r.goope.jp/chidorinoyu/about) - [Furukuma Onsen Association: Chidori no Yu spring type, prices and day-use details](https://www.fuji-spa.com/onsen/kumanokawa/tidorinoyu/) - [Saga Prefecture tourism: Chidori no Yu](https://www.asobo-saga.jp/spots/detail/7528e582-1204-4198-a42c-f5ed958db1ea) - [Saga City: 2024 management review for Chidori no Yu](https://www.city.saga.lg.jp/shisei/gyoseiunei/1/2/1/5863.html) - [Showa Bus: Nuruyu Kutsurogi ticket](https://www.showa-bus.jp/tickets/deals_nuruyu/)Checked: September 28, 2026. Prices and schedules may change; confirm family-bath availability and the return bus before travelling.
Tags: Kumanokawa Onsen, Chidori no Yu, Saga Onsen, Saga day trip, Kyushu onsen, day-use onsen, warm-water onsen, family bath, wheelchair-accessible bath, outdoor bath, sauna, weakly radioactive spring, Saga Station bus, Showa Bus, Japan travel
