Obama Onsen
小浜温泉
A hot-spring destination where the bath itself is the sightseeing.
What this place is
Obama Onsen (小浜温泉) is an onsen (hot spring resort) in Obama, Unzen, Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan. The hot springs system is located in the foothills of Mount Unzen Volcano. In Japanese, the word, "obama" means "little beach" or "little island". Although at least since 2008, the town's tourism office had been greeting visitors with a life-sized statue of the former American president, Barack Obama, and vendors in town sold Barack Obama-themed towels. Both the statue and themed towel has been removed.
Background text from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)
Why it is worth the trip
- Mineral-rich water that locals have soaked in for generations — each source has its own temperature, colour and smell.
- A bathing town you can wander in a yukata, with steam drifting between wooden inns and public baths.
- Open-air rotenburo tubs framed by mountains, river valleys or the sea, which change completely with the season.
What you can do here
- Take a day-use bath (higaeri onsen) even without staying overnight — most inns open their baths in the afternoon.
- Try the free foot baths (ashiyu) dotted around town for a quick warm-up between stops.
- Buy a bath-hopping pass and compare two or three different sources in one afternoon.
- Eat the local onsen specialities — steam-cooked eggs, puddings and vegetables sold near the sources.
Photos
Photos from Wikimedia Commons — click any image for the photographer and licence.
Getting there by public transport
Good to know before you go
- Wash and rinse at the shower stations before entering the tub; the bath water is shared.
- Some traditional baths still restrict tattoos — look for tattoo-friendly inns or private family baths (kashikiri).
- Bring a small towel; larger bath towels are usually rented or sold at the counter.
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