Loaded with major ions — the essential minerals (Ca, Mg).
Buoyancy
Standard buoyancy
LowHigh
Soft water — natural, classic buoyancy.
BicarbonatesSodiumCalcium
Yabakei Onsen is located along the Yabakei Gorge near Nakatsu, Oita Prefecture, one of Japan's most celebrated scenic ravines where thousands of volcanic rock pillars, caves, and steep forested canyon walls have been designated a national scenic area. The siliceous thermal waters here complement the exceptional natural beauty of a gorge formed by volcanic activity and millennia of river erosion, where the Yamakuni River winds beneath cathedral-like basalt formations. This onsen destination is particularly beloved in autumn when the canyon's maple and zelkova trees blaze with fiery foliage, creating a painterly backdrop for open-air mineral spring bathing.
Insider tip — Yabakei is one of Kyushu's most photographed gorge landscapes — a succession of volcanic tuff columns, caves and forested canyon walls along the Yamakuni River in western Oita — and its bicarbonate onsen at 40°C make the gorge as soothing to the body as it is spectacular to the eye. The waters have a soft, almost silky feel characteristic of mildly alkaline bicarbonate springs, and many ryokan offer open-air tubs perched directly above the river's green depths. Autumn foliage here, typically peaking in late November, transforms the canyon into an incandescent red-and-gold theatre.
