Space World
スペースワールド
A hot-spring destination where the bath itself is the sightseeing.
What this place is
Space World (Japanese: スペースワールド, Hepburn: Supēsu Wārudo) was a theme park in Yahatahigashi-ku, Kitakyushu, Fukuoka, Japan, Japan. It had six roller coasters: Black Hole Scramble, Venus GP, Zaturn, Boogie-woogie Space Coaster, Titan Max, and Clipper. In 2016, the park officially announced that it would close at the end of the following year. The park permanently closed at 2 am, 1 January 2018. The Venus GP roller coaster was relocated to Himeji Central Park after Space World's closure. The ride reopened in 2022.
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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