Nyū Chikusui Sō

404. New Chikusuiso, Ukiha, Fukuoka Visited for higaeri for 700. Higaeri hours stated as 13:00 to 20:00. They stamp the 88 Onsen of Kyushu book. Bath photos from the internet match reality. While I was on my onsen rush, the place's name changed on Google Maps. Walking to the hotel, there were a lot of abandoned buildings around — an atmosphere of a dying settlement. The hotel did have a fresh sign, but it had clearly seen better days both inside and out. I thought I wouldn't get in at all, but they let me in for higaeri and even stamped the 88 Onsen of Kyushu book — they even had achievement posters hanging up. In the onsen itself there were two guys, one clearly took notice of me. He started a conversation in the changing room in surprisingly good English. We chatted, turns out he's the hotel owner and deeply into the onsen scene — he was giving respect that someone from Russia traveled to visit them. When I reached the exit after changing, he met me at reception, asked me to write onsen feedback on a form in Russian by hand, gifted me a bottle of alcohol, and was extremely polite, continuing to show respect. On that note, it was nice to see that as I was leaving, a young Japanese couple was coming in for higaeri. Indoor bath with cloudy white-green water, temperature 43. On the wall there's a faded old-school painting of Mt. Fuji and a frog mascot. Very Showa-retro-atmospheric. Breathing inside is comfortable. Outdoor stone bath. No view while sitting, but standing you can see forest and hills over the fence. Cloudy white-green water, temperature 35.5. Showa vibes, a super warm welcome, a sense of nostalgia for a place you've never been to — how can you not recommend it?