Tucked away in the foothills of Mount Waita, within sight of the Oita border, lies the little known Waita onsen area, a collection of six small onsen resorts. This is a remarkable area, everywhere you look you will see, smell and hear the violently gushing steam and bubbling vents. These puncture the ground and fill the skies with clouds of steam giving a magical feel to the sleepy rural hamlets that sit on top of powerful geothermal energy.
Why visit?
A visit to Waita offers the chance to really get away from it all, more rustic and charming than the once grand Tsuetate Onsen, Waita is more of a local secret not yet attracting the crowds that frequent Kurokawa Onsen. There are 6 main onsen areas to choose from: Hageno-yu Onsen, Takeno-yu Onsen, Jigokutani Onsen, Yamakawa Onsen, Asozuru Onsen, and Suzugatani Onsen.
The ryokan are more reasonable in price than Kurokawa while offering good quality accommodation , hospitality and local delicacies.
The onsen waters are characterised by their blueness, some milky blue and some clear. Apparently there is even one that changes colour over the course of the day. Most of the ryokan have outdoor baths offering beautiful mountain views and surrounded by nature.
For hikers Mount Waita is waiting, the path leading up from beyond the hamlet of Hagenoyu Onsen. The triangular peak is 1,500 m high and takes 2 to 3 hours to scale.
Travel Tips
Several onsens offer coin operated private baths which allow you to fill your own tub and enjoy a fresh bath.
Soap and shampoo are usually provided but if you are visiting for the day don’t forget your towel. Otherwise you will have to buy one.
There are many ‘family onsens’ ie. private onsens which you pay for per hour, these cannot usually be booked in advance and they are a little more expensive than the public onsen, expect to pay around 800 yen per person.
The hamlet of Takenoyu has a large and very steamy food steaming area for use there is a small charge of 300 Yen. Straw is laid over the steam vents and food is placed on top to cook. The steaming leaves the food juicy and full of flavour. Other ryokans also offer steam cooking and have local ingredients for sale. Chicken and eggs are very popular.
If you don’t have time to cook pop into the restaurant at Takenoyu and order the very tasty steam set for a reasonable 800 Yen. Chicken , sausage and a selection of local vegetables and mushrooms served with a ponzu dipping sauce.
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Getting to Waita Onsen
There is a very limited bus service, just twice a day from Oguni, so its very difficult to access without your own transportation. A taxi from Kurokawa or Oguni would probably take 30 – 40 minutes. A visit to Takenoyu in Waita for a steamy lunch and sightseeing is possible with the Kurokawa onsen day trip, please contact us for details.
If you are driving from Kurokawa take the Farmroad just outside Kurokawa village (heading in the Oguni direction) The Farm road takes you all the way to the Waita area.
Houreinoyu (the onsen in the photo) has an English website and offers a free pick up service from the Yu station in Oguni if you are staying the nig