Wataya

Wataya occupies a former residence dating from the Meiji era, with a tea room and warm, old fashioned guest rooms. The onsen water is clear and faintly salty on the skin, drawn through both an open-air bath and an indoor bath that swap between men and women each day rather than mixing at once. From the tubs you look out over the Machida River toward Karatsu Castle. There is also a private bath kept for overnight guests, and one of the rooms has its own tub. Day bathing is open too, though the washing area only seats a handful of people, so it fills up by mid afternoon.