Tennen no yu "Aoki Onsen"
With the owner’s son Masanobu, in the lounge
We visited Tennen no yu “Aoki Onsen” in Jōjimamachi, Kurume, Fukuoka. The current owner used to run a furniture factory in Okawa City, but decided to change the business and opened Aoki Onsen in 2003.
Masahi welcomed us with a smile at the reception. Aoki Onsen is run by a family, and he is a little brother of the current owner. He said 300 to 400 visitors come every day on average not only from Kurume but also from other cities nearby.
There are lockers in the dressing room. You can use a locker to keep your valuables safe while taking a bath.
This is the bathroom. There is a big bathroom containing transparent water. The water has a little bit jelly-like texture and is quite soothing.
The water is used as is without adding cold water or heating up to adjust the bath temperature. The temperature at the hot spring source which is located 1300 meters below the ground is 65°C|149°F, and the bath temperature is approx. 43°C|109.4°F. When this hot spring was drilled, the boring operator said the mineral composition of the water is similar to that of Yamaga Onsen or Hirayama Onsen in Kumamoto, and thus the water might come from Mt. Aso.
Aoki Onsen also offers an open-air bath. There are stools around this bath, you can use a stool to take a rest after getting out of the bath. You can enjoy bathing for a long time by taking a bath and a rest on a stool in turn repeatedly.
Takafumi comes to Aoki Onsen once a week. He was involved in a car accident and had injuries at that time; however, he said bathing at Aoki Onsen with a massage therapy can ease the pain.
They are the son and daughter of the owner Shuji, she is Miho and he is Masanobu. Shuji said offering excellent hot spring without cheating bathers is the most important thing for the onsen business. Aoki Onsen is a family-run bathhouse, we hope the children will take over the father’s motto and make this hot spring more attractive in the future.
MAP
INFORMATION
Name: Tennen no yu "Aoki Onsen"
Address: 366-1 Jōjimamachi Kamiaoki, Kurume, Fukuoka
Tel: 0942-62-1426
Access (Car): 59 min from the centre of Fukuoka City. 57 min from the Fukuoka airport
Parking Lot: 60
Opening Hours: 10:00 - 22:00
Closing Days: Wednesday (opens if falls on a holiday)
Price: JPY 500
