Kagoshima Yumeguri-chō
Kagoshima's bath-hopping stamp book, a pocket guide to the prefecture's onsen-sento, most of them genuine natural hot springs.
54 bathhouses
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Kagoshima Yumeguri-chō (鹿児島湯巡帖, "Kagoshima Bath-Hopping Book") is the stamp-collecting guidebook published by the Kagoshima Prefectural Cooperative of Public Bath-house Operators (鹿児島県公衆浴場業生活衛生同業組合). It is a pocket-sized book that lists the prefecture's member onsen-sento one per page, each with a photo, a space for that bath's own original stamp (hanko), and a field to note the date and your impressions. Work your way through every page and you complete your own one-of-a-kind personal sento guidebook.
What sets Kagoshima apart is that most of its neighbourhood sento are genuine natural hot springs. The city sits on volcanic ground with abundant geothermal water, so it has an unusually high number of "onsen sento" that draw their own spring rather than heat ordinary water. Spring types vary (sodium chloride, bicarbonate, simple thermal), and a few baths heat a natural cold mineral spring.
How to get the book
The cooperative hands the book out for free; you only cover postage if you order it by mail.
- By mail: send a long (chō-3) envelope with your postcode, address, and name to the cooperative office, with postage stamps attached for yū-mail delivery, ¥190 for one copy or ¥320 for two.
- In person (just ask at the counter): the Kagoshima Chūō Station general tourist information office, the Kagoshima City tourist information office (Centerras Tenmonkan), Kagoshima Yūrakukan, or the cooperative office.
- Contact: Kagoshima Prefectural Cooperative of Public Bath-house Operators, guidebook desk, 3-28 Yasui-chō, Kagoshima City 892-0815, Tel/Fax 099-225-2683.
How many baths you stamp
The current third edition (September 2023) holds 57 baths, one per page. Collect every bath's own original stamp to fill the book. There is no time limit and no order to follow; spreading the visits across many trips is the normal way to do it.
What you get at the end
The reward is the finished book itself: a one-of-a-kind "MY original sento guidebook" with every stamp collected and your own notes on each visit. Along the way it doubles as a reader on Kagoshima's onsen-sento culture, the benefits of a long soak, and bathing etiquette. There is no prize draw; the older Kagoshima onsen stamp rally that once offered prizes ended in 2020, and today the book is a self-paced collection.
Complete it and you can also earn the Kagoshima Yumeguri-chō badge here on Onsen Oni. The badge is repeatable for future editions of the book. Submit your completed book (or check-in photos from the member baths) through the feedback channel.
Rules and etiquette
- Bathing fee (set by the prefecture): ¥460 for adults (junior-high age and up), ¥150 for elementary-school children, ¥80 for infants.
- Standard sento manners apply: undress fully before entering the bathroom, wash your body before getting into the tub, keep towels and soap out of the water, and no mixed bathing from age 10.
- A few baths printed in the book may since have closed or left the cooperative, so check before you set out. The cooperative posts closures and withdrawals on its site.
Branches across the prefecture
The cooperative organises its members into local branches: Kagoshima City (by far the largest cluster), the Satsuma/Hokusatsu branches (Akune, Satsumasendai, Ichikikushikino, Hioki), the Minamisatsu branches (Ibusuki, Makurazaki, Minamikyushu), and the Osumi, Kirishima and island branches (Kanoya, Yusui, Kirishima, Yakushima). Ibusuki keeps historic baths such as Nigatsuden Onsen Tonosama-yu, once a private bath of the Shimazu lords.
The member baths
The list on this page is matched to Onsen Oni's own catalog: each bath links through to its full page here, and out to its entry on the cooperative's official site. The book lists 57 baths; the catalog here covers the baths currently published on the cooperative's online map (a few book entries have no online page yet). The cooperative's official site has the most accurate and current information on each bath, including any changes to hours, fees, and closed days.