Kurokawa Onsen and More Tour

• Entrance to a hot spring of your choice, over 25 onsen to choose from
• Explore one of Japan’s most charming hot spring villages
• Walk behind the falls at Nabegataki Waterfall
• Enjoy stunning views of Mount Aso, Japan’s largest volcano and the Aso caldera from Daikanbo
• Go right off the beaten track with a visit to the very steamy hamlet of Takenoyu
• Try some onsen steamed food, local dairy products or delicious Japanese sweets
• Small group tour with dedicated transport
• Highly rated, friendly and informative English speaking guide. 
• Qualified Aso Global Geopark guide 

Kurokawa Onsen and more tour details

Meeting Point: The tour begins and ends from Higo Ozu Station, a 35 to 40 minute train ride from Kumamoto City. However, it may also be possible to arrange a pick up from your hotel if you are staying in the Aso area. Please contact us with your hotel details to find out more.

Tour duration: 09:00 to 17:30 (8.5 hours)

No. of guests: Minimum 1 person, maximum 6.

We can cater for groups up to 9 but there may be extra charges for a rental vehicle

Activity Level: Moderate, the tour involves some walking up and down hill in Kurokawa and the Nabegataki Falls. The waterfall is accessed by stairs so is not pushchair or wheelchair friendly.

Tour Inclusions: English guide fees, transport, parking fees, entrance to one public hot spring bath** and entrance fee to Kikuchi Gorge and Nabegataki falls.

**If you would like a private bath please pay the extra cost on the day (aprox 500 to 1000 Yen depending on the bath selected.) Footbaths are also available.

Tour Exclusions:

Lunch is not included as standard, there are several restaurants covering a range of budgets in Kurokawa Village, if you would like to bring a packed lunch that’s fine too.

Towels are not included, please bring your own or you can buy a small towel for a couple of hundred Yen at the hot springs.

Weather: The tour is usually not affected by the weather however, If the forecast is for storms, heavy rain or snow all day we will either offer you the chance to cancel or to change to a different tour itinerary.

Drop off: The drop off is at Higo Ozu station around 17:30. Trains back to Kumamoto City run approximately every 20 minutes. A drop off in the Aso area may also be possible with advance booking. Please contact us with your hotel details to find out

Kurokawa Onsen Tour Itinerary:

Timings are approximate and the schedule and itinerary order may change according to the weather, season and time constraints. 

*It is possible to customise the tour schedule if you request a private tour. Contact us to find out more.

09:00 Meet up with your guide in front of Higo Ozu Station 

 We take a scenic 45 minute drive along the Milk Road around the outer edge of the caldera to Daikanbo, the highest point on the northern caldera rim.

09;40 Daikanbo Viewpoint –  Daikanbo is the highest point on the northern caldera edge and from here you can see panoramic views of the Aso caldera below, the caldera rim and smoking Mount Aso volcano in the distance  

10:40 Kurokawa Onsen Village First get your bearings with a stroll around the village with your guide who will point out some of the different hot springs and speciality shops and tell you about Kurokawa’s interesting origins. 

11:20  Bath time or free time Your guide will give you an information leaflet about the different baths so you can choose a hot spring you would like to visit, some of the baths are outside the village and we are happy to drive you and pick you up after. If you are not sure where to go your guide will be happy to advise you. There are also private baths at a reasonable rate and foot baths too, if you don’t want a bath that’s fine too. 

12:30 Lunch at a local restaurant There are several restaurants to choose from in Kurokawa Onsen from a light bite to something more substantial. After lunch explore some more or take another bath.

14:00 Takenoyu – a 30 minute drive from Kurokawa Onsen, Takenoyu is one of Kyushu’s best kept secrets and the steamiest little village you have ever seen. Take a fascinating look at how the locals have learnt to live with and benefit from having a constant source of geo thermal power literally under their feet. 

15:30 Nabegataki Falls – We end the day at one of Kyushu’s most famous waterfalls – it’s possible to walk all the way behind the cascade and enjoy this wonderful waterfall from in front and behind.

17:30 Arrive back at Higo Ozu Station

From April through to the first week in May you also have the option to visit the nearby onsen town of Tsuetate where over 3500 carp streamers fly above the river to celebrate Children’s Day

Kurokawa Onsen Tour Standard Price                                               

1 person –          26,000 Yen

2 to 3 people – 15,000 Yen per person                     

4 to 6 people – 13,000 Yen per person                     

Private and customisable tours available – Contact us 

Family discounts available. (Please contact us with your children’s ages to find out more)

All tours are paid for in cash on the day, no deposit is required

About Kurokawa Onsen

The famous Kurokawa Onsen is one of Japan’s top onsen resorts, famed for its charmingly traditional and isolated setting in a lush green valley hidden away at the base of the Kuju Mountain range. Its history goes back over 300 years when Kurokawa became a convenient rest stop for the Kumamoto Lords. The baths were rumoured to have special healing powers.Perfect for first time hot spring visitors, on a Kurokawa Onsen Tour you will be able to visit a hot spring bath of your choice. We can advise you where the quieter baths are and also arrange a private bath for you if you are not comfortable with visiting a shared one. If you are not sure about taking a hot spring but would like to visit the village and other sights, that’s fine too, while other tour members are taking a bath you can have extra time to look around the village, visit a café or enjoy a relaxing footbath. 

Nowadays Kurokawa’s claim to fame is down to its many traditional ryokans and the large number of ‘lotenburo’ outdoor hot springs it hosts, each in its own uniquely beautiful natural setting. There are over 25 onsens to choose from each boasting wonderful outside baths in a range of settings, offering different kind of baths and a variety of waters  each with its own distinct health benefits. We usually visit Kurokawa onsen in the morning when the baths are at their quietest, so you may even get a hotspring all to yourself! Private onsens are also available.

Nabegataki Falls

A local Oguni town secret until recent years, the Nabegataki falls are now one of Kyushu’s most famous waterfalls and enjoy a deserved reputation as a natural ‘power spot’. It’s not the height of the waterfall that makes it special but the fact you can easily walk all the way behind the 20m wide curtain of water to the far river bank. This rare geological feature is due to its formation during the huge eruptions of Mount Aso over 90,000 years ago.

Daikanbo View

Daikanbo is the highest point on the northern edge of the Aso caldera and from here you can see panoramic views of the caldera valley, the caldera rim and the smoking volcano of Mount Aso in the distance and if you are very, very lucky you may even get to see the ‘Unkai –  Sea of Cloud’ 

Takenoyu Village

This tiny hamlet at the foothills of Mt Waita in northern Oguni is a place where daily life is dominated by steam. It’s everywhere, coming up under the roads and buildings and through the fields. Corroding pipes and destroying concrete yet the people of this tiny hamlet have developed ways to live with and use steam to their benefit, heating their homes, drying their clothes and cooking their food. A fascinating place to explore.