Mugen no Sato "Shunkashuto"
With the owner Shinpachi Fujita and his family, in front of the entrance
We visited Mugen no Sato “Shunkashuto” in Horita, Beppu, Oita. This onsen is surrounded by forests and you can enjoy seasonal views of nature in every season.
This is the appearance, a house in forests. Big stones are placed along with the path to the entrance door. The building matches the surrounding environment.
Kentaro welcomed us at the reception.
The bathroom is a couple of minutes away from the reception house. Walking under green leaves is a good exercise before bathing. All the baths in Shunkashuto are open-air bath from which you can see views of nature.
The dressing room is simple. It’s connected to the bathroom.
This is “Niji no yu” which is the shared bath for Men. The bathtub, which is built with rocks, is filled with white onsen water. The water is of sulphur spring, though its pH value is neutral. The touch of water is gentle and the fragrance is mild. Needless to say, the environment is so nice. To preserve the natural environment, only the organic shampoo provided as a free amenity is allowed.
The water is not recycled, and the fresh onsen water and sulphur steam always flows into the bath. The water conditions, including the colour, change according to the weather conditions. Seeing the natural change would be a pleasure for the onsen fans.
Tatsuya is a frequent visitor and a member of Beppu Hatto Onsendo. Although he is young, he is very knowledgeable about onsens in Beppu. He knew some unfamiliar ones we didn’t know, which was surprising.
This is “Mugen no yu” which is the shared bath for Women. The same as the Men’s bath, this bath is built with rocks and surrounded by trees.
Shunkashuto offers some private/family baths as well. This bath is called “Tsuki” (which means “moon”). The bathtub is bigger than others.
This is called “Hotaru” (which means “firefly”). This private bath has two bathtubs. As indicate in the name, this area is famous for seeing fireflies.
This is the most popular private bath which is called “Taki” (which means “waterfall”). You can soak in a bath while seeing a waterfall in front of your eyes. It would be a great experience!
Before the owner Shinpachi and his wife Atsuko inherited Shunkashuto from the previous owner, it had been closed for many years. They had prepared the land and renovated the house spending some years. In that period, they discovered the waterfall which even the previous owner didn’t know. They try to preserve the natural environment in this area because the nature is a priceless attraction of Shunkashuto.
Finally, if you get hungry after taking an onsen bath, we recommend you to eat steamed eggs. Of course, they are steamed by hot spring steam naturally rising from the ground. Please try one, it’s really yummy!
MAP
INFORMATION
Name: Mugen no Sato “Shunkashuto”
Address: 6 kumi Horita, Beppu, Oita
Tel: 0977-25-1126
Access (Car): 29 min from the centre of Oita City. 40 min from the Oita airport
Parking Lot: 15
Opening Hours:
Apr to Nov 10:00 - 20:00 (last entry at 19:00)
Dec to Mar 10:00 - 18:00 (last entry at 17:00)
*May change on bad weather conditions
Closing Days: Not specified
*May close on bad weather conditions
Price: Shared Bath JPY 700~, Private/Family Bath JPY 2500~
