A small mountain onsen village in the Aso highlands of Kumamoto, where 30 ryokan share a single river and a wooden bath-pass system that lets visitors walk between three baths in a day. Every ryokan opens its outdoor baths to outside guests. Cave baths, riverside baths, and forest baths fill the half-kilometer between the public Jizoyu and Anayu bath houses. The village resists modern signage and chain stores, keeping the night quiet enough to hear the river.
What Kurokawa Onsen is known for
Top-rated in Kurokawa Onsen
Kurokawa Onsen Yuakari
4.9onsen
Warm winter glow of thousands of floating bamboo lanterns.
Yamamizuki
4.5onsen
Riverside ryokan with one of the largest outdoor baths in the village.
Sanga Ryokan
4.5onsen
Ryokan with an open-air mixed bath surrounded by bamboo grove on the village's western edge.
Oku no Yu
4.4onsen
Ryokan with nine different baths including a mixed river bath and a cave bath.
Kurokawaso
4.4onsen
Ryokan with a milky-blue sulfur stone bath surrounded by stones and forest.
Yamabiko Ryokan
4.4onsen
Ryokan with six private family baths plus large outdoor pools.
Hozantei
4.4onsen
Rustic riverside ryokan with stunning open-air baths perched directly above the water.
Shinmeikan
4.2onsen
Cave onsen carved directly into the rock face above the river, with bamboo-and-straw-screened bathrooms.
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