We visited Megumi no yu "Kannogo Onsen" in Hosono, Kobayashi, Miyazaki, which also offers hotel accommodations.

She is the manager Kumi. She says visitors come from various places such as Miyazaki, Kagoshima or Hitoyoshi as well as Kobayashi. Several hundreds of people come daily on average, and more than 1000 people came on New Year’s Day some years ago.

Take a short walk to get to the reception in the building. On this day, Kyomi welcomed us with a smile.

This is the dressing room. There are a lot of compartments and lockers in which you can keep your valuables.

The bathroom is big, there are several bathtubs and sauna rooms. The water is slightly yellow coloured, and, of course, it is not recycled. The temperature is warm and good for a long soak. Some bathers take a bath for a couple of hours and some buy a one-day ticket to take a bath several times in a day.

When you see a faucet, you will soon notice the huge amount of water pouring. According to Kumi, 2.2 tons of water is supplied per minute, it is one of the biggest hot springs in Japan. The water is drinkable, it is a little bit carbonated and has an iron flavour. 

There is an open-air bath outside, the floor is covered with deposited yellow minerals.

They are frequent bathers Yoshitoshi (right) and his friend. Yoshitoshi has been coming to Megumi no yu since it opened. It’s lucky to have such a good hot spring in a hometown.

This is a picture of a bathroom which is exclusive to hotel guests. The bathroom floor is made by hinoki cypress; however, it is totally covered with deposited minerals, now you can hardly see the original material. This indicates how rich the minerals are. Some business travelers stay here instead of a business hotel close to the Kobayashi station only to take a bath here.

At the right side of the entrance, there is a spot where you can drink the hot spring water. During our visit, so many visitors was taking bottles and filling them with the water to bring back to their home. They say the water can make rice tasty and give it a good texture. Megumi no yu is good for not only bathing but for cooking!

MAP

INFORMATION

Name: Megumi no yu "Kannogo Onsen"

Address: 5273-19 Hosono, Kobayashi, Miyazaki

Tel: 0984-23-2006

Access (Car): 56 min from the centre of Miyazaki City. 52 min from the Miyazaki airport

Parking Lot: 70

Opening Hours: Daily 07:00 - 22:00

Closing Days: Not specified (three days a year)

Price: JPY 500