Oita Hita City
Relax in a Finnish-style sauna and beauty-enhancing hot spring overlooking the clear flow of the Mikuma River
"Hita Onsen Hananoki RIVER TERRACE" is a hot spring inn located along the Mikuma River in Hita City, Oita Prefecture. The "Totono-yu Sauna," opened in February 2026, is an authentic Finnish-style sauna equipped with a HARVIA heater. With self-löyly, hot steam spreads throughout the room, encouraging a comfortable sweat. For cooling down, there is a cold plunge bath filled with pure underground water from Hita, a renowned water town, flowing continuously, offering a soft, pleasantly cool sensation that seems to cling to the skin. To finish, enjoy the beauty-enhancing bath made with a hot spring source that naturally bubbles up from 1,500 meters underground and is conditioned with Yuyutake. An open-air bath where you can feel the river’s murmuring and the breeze is truly a blissful moment.
This beauty-enhancing hot spring naturally bubbles up from 1,500 meters underground and is rich in metasilicic acid. Using a bamboo cooling device called Yuyutake, the spring water is adjusted to the proper temperature without adding water, while preserving the freshness of the source. The free-flowing spring water is gentle on the skin and blends in smoothly, leaving lasting moisture and warmth long after bathing.
This authentic Finnish-style sauna was newly built in 2026 and features a HARVIA heater. Self-löyly is available, and the steam rising from the sauna stones keeps the room at the ideal humidity level, delivering powerful yet gentle heat throughout the body. The spacious room is filled with the scent of wood, allowing you to enjoy a luxurious sweating experience while feeling the natural atmosphere of the Mikuma River.
This cold plunge bath uses pure underground water from Hita, a city famous as a water town, in a luxurious free-flowing system. It is characterized by the mellow feel of natural water on the skin, cooling the body gently yet thoroughly. Sink in up to your shoulders in the deep tub, and you can cool down while feeling the blessings of nature with your whole body.
Day-use: 11:00–22:00
Oita
Enjoy 100% natural spring water baths and a traditional steam bath
Oita
A superb hot spring resort embraced by panoramic views of Hiwaki Valley and famous water
Oita
Myoban's traditional box steam bath and two superb springs. A soothing space on a hill overlooking Beppu Bay
JAPAN'S FINEST ONSEN & SAUNA
The Finest Onsen & Sauna in Japan
61 SELECTIONS
Most of what we surveyed never even made it onto this site. This book is a further cut from what did. Our editor bathed in every onsen and sauna in it, and wrote only what they confirmed on the ground.
