Takegawara Onsen

18. Takegawara Onsen, Beppu ★★★ One of the most famous onsen in Beppu. The price is ¥300 for the onsen or ¥1500 for the sand bath. Hours are listed as 06:30 to 22:30 (main onsen) and 08:00 to 22:30 (sand bath), closed on the third Wednesday of the month. They stamp the Beppu Onsen-do stamp. They also stamp the 88 Kyushu onsen stamp. An OYUCA card was issued for this onsen. It is located near the station. It is in a cool old building, everything inside feels old-school, and the baths feel very old-fashioned. The bath areas are another half floor down, so it feels spacious inside, with high ceilings. Inside there is a shop with merch, a rest area, vending machines, and massage chairs. 1. Main bath. No showers or soap. Indoor bath with clear water. Temperature was 43.5. It is comfortable to breathe inside. 2. Sand area. You go to a separate area with the sand onsen. There you put on a separate yukata, they hang them on hangers, and you go into the sand area. Inside there are two baths, one with sand, the other most likely with water. They show you where to lie down. The staff buries you in sand, then you can lie there for about 15 minutes. It feels nice, and it warms your whole body in a unique way. Then the staff tells you to get up and you return to the area where you put on the yukata. There you need to wash the sand off yourself and off the yukata in the shower area, it does not come off super quickly. After that you can soak in a small hot bath with clear water, temperature 43-44. Then you need to get dressed, return to the onsen hall, and you can go to the main bath. The bath photos are from the internet, and they match. A very cool old-school alpha onsen, an old building, spacious rooms, the sand onsen option, a shop with cool merch, long opening hours, and at the same time bath areas with a strong old-fashioned atmosphere. A top place. 28.12.2023 02.04.2025 03.01.2026