Guide · Onsen
Beppu and Yufuin onsen: baths, fares and what is unconfirmed
Takegawara costs $2 (¥300) for the bath and $10 (¥1,500) for sand; Yunotsubo costs $1 (¥200). Hyotan's family bath is $15 (¥2,400) for 3 adults.
Beppu suits bath-hoppers who want cheap public baths and a sand bath, and it works as a day trip from Fukuoka. Yufuin suits an overnight stay in a quiet ryokan, because public day baths there are limited. Both towns are in Oita, about 2 hours from Hakata by JR train. Takegawara costs $2 (¥300) for the bath and $10 (¥1,500) for the sand bath, and Yunotsubo $1 (¥200).
Dollar figures use about ¥155 to US$1 and are rounded; you pay in yen, so check the rate.
Beppu or Yufuin: which suits you?
Choose Beppu for variety and Yufuin for quiet.
| Town | Best for | Day trip from Fukuoka | Public bath |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beppu | Bath-hopping and the sand bath | Works | Takegawara, $2 (¥300) |
| Yufuin | A quiet ryokan stay | Day baths are limited | Yunotsubo, $1 (¥200) |
Beppu has the larger choice of baths in our sources: Takegawara, Hyotan and the family baths covered below. Yufuin has one public day bath, so the ryokan stay carries the visit.
How do you get there from Fukuoka?
Take a JR train from Hakata: the Sonic to Beppu takes about 2 hours, and the Yufuin no Mori to Yufuin about 2 hours 15 minutes. A secondary travel guide gives last-known fares of $36 (¥5,570) to Beppu and $29 (¥4,550) to Yufuin. Neither figure is dated.
The 2026-27 fares are unclear right now, so check JR Kyushu before you book. Passes and routes across the island are in Kyushu.
What does a day in Beppu cost?
The ordinary bath at Takegawara is $2 (¥300) and the sand bath $10 (¥1,500), per Beppu City. The two are priced separately, so this page adds no total.
| Option | Price | Hours | Closed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Takegawara bath | $2 (¥300) | 6:30 to 22:30 | 3rd Wednesday |
| Takegawara sand bath | $10 (¥1,500) | 8:00 to 22:30, last entry 21:30 | 3rd Wednesday |
| Hyotan main bath | $7 (¥1,160) | Opens 9:00 | 12 Nov, 30 Nov to 4 Dec 2026 |
Takegawara closes on the third Wednesday of the month, or the next day when that is a holiday. By that rule the winter dates are 18 Nov and 16 Dec 2026, then 20 Jan and 17 Feb 2027. The city’s English visitor page lists the closure for the sand bath only, so confirm the bath on the day.
An early start fits the hours. Takegawara opens at 6:30 and its sand bath at 8:00, so you can bathe there before Hyotan opens at 9:00. In the evening both Takegawara baths stay open to 22:30, with last sand-bath entry at 21:30.
Hyotan Onsen in Kannawa charges $7 (¥1,160) for an adult day ticket and $3 (¥400) for a child aged 7 to 12. Its family baths are private and priced for 3 adults, with extra guests charged on top. Split three ways, the 60-minute family bath works out at $5 (¥800) each, less than the main bath.
| Family bath | Price |
|---|---|
| 60 minutes | $15 (¥2,400) for 3 adults |
| 75 minutes | $19 (¥3,000) for 3 adults |
| 90 minutes | $23 (¥3,600) for 3 adults |
| Extra adult | $5 (¥700) |
| Extra child | $2 (¥300), under 3 free |
An older Beppu city tourism listing shows Mugen no Sato family baths from $16 (¥2,500) for 50 to 60 minutes. That listing’s Hyotan figure differs from Hyotan’s own page, so use the figures above for Hyotan and treat the Mugen no Sato price as last known. How these baths are booked is in Private onsen (kashikiri).
Before you book Hyotan closes on 12 Nov and from 30 Nov to 4 Dec 2026 for works. Check its price page for later changes before you plan around it.
What does a day in Yufuin cost?
Yunotsubo, listed by Yufu City, costs $1 (¥200). The page lists cypress baths open 10:00 to 22:00 with no regular closing day. It is undated, so treat the fee and hours as last known and confirm them before you go.
Other Yufuin day baths are not in our sources, which is why the town suits a stay better than a day trip.
What are the bath rules?
Follow the standard sequence in Onsen etiquette: wash first, keep the towel out of the water and go in without a swimsuit unless a sign says otherwise. Rules specific to Takegawara, Yunotsubo or Hyotan are not in our sources, so follow the signs at the door.
What does a night cost?
Beppu and Yufuin ryokan rates and day-use prices are not in our sources. Two secondary guides give national ryokan ranges: $97 to $160 (¥15,000 to ¥25,000) per person on average in one, and $97 to $260 (¥15,000 to ¥40,000) or more with two meals in the other. Treat both as ballparks, because the booking page sets the real rate. What a stay includes is in Ryokan.
What do the official pages say about tattoos?
The official pages for Takegawara, Yunotsubo and Hyotan carry no tattoo wording; for Hyotan that covers its price, FAQ and onsen pages.
A secondary bath directory lists 140 Oita baths as allowing tattoos or allowing them with conditions, the highest count of any prefecture in its database, with Hyogo next at 45. It counts listings, not policy for any of the baths above, and most baths in the database are marked unknown. A private bath is the usual fallback, but policy varies by facility, so ask Hyotan before you book. The full ladder of options is in Tattoos and onsen.
What changes in winter?
No winter-specific hours or closures are listed for Takegawara or Yunotsubo. The dates to plan around are the Takegawara closing Wednesdays above and the Hyotan works closures. Beppu snow and road conditions are not found.
To verify The official spring type is not found for either town, and Yunotsubo’s page is undated. Check the Beppu City and Yufu City pages before you travel.
Where next?
- Best onsen in Japan, compared: Beppu and Yufuin against other towns on water, access, price and tattoo wording.
- The Onsen hub: every onsen guide in one place.
- Onsen etiquette: the rules from door to exit.
- Tattoos and onsen: policies bath by bath.
- Kyushu: Fukuoka, passes and the rest of the island.
Questions
The sand bath is $10 (¥1,500) and the ordinary bath $2 (¥300), per Beppu City. Sand bathing runs 8:00 to 22:30 with last entry at 21:30. The baths close on the third Wednesday of the month, or the next day if that is a holiday.
Beppu works as a day trip from Fukuoka, about 2 hours each way by the Sonic. Yufuin suits an overnight stay in a quiet ryokan, because public day baths there are limited. Yunotsubo is $1 (¥200).
The official pages for Takegawara, Yunotsubo and Hyotan state no tattoo rule, so ask before you go. Hyotan's family bath is a private option, but its tattoo rule is not published either.
Last known and undated, per a secondary travel guide: $36 (¥5,570) to Beppu on the Sonic and $29 (¥4,550) to Yufuin on the Yufuin no Mori. The current official fares are unclear right now, so check JR Kyushu before you book.