Beppu’s Outlying Municipal Onsen: Shibaseki, Horita or Kiyosen?

Checked: September 27, 2026

Shibaseki is the one to choose if your group needs a private family bath; it is also the most varied, with indoor pools, an outdoor bath and a steam bath. Horita is the practical stop by car on the west side of Beppu, close to the Beppu IC, with shared indoor and outdoor pools. Kiyosen is easiest by JR from Kamegawa Station and has both hotter and cooler indoor pools.

All three are municipal hot-spring facilities, but they are not interchangeable. For the more central municipal baths, see the Beppu municipal onsen guide. For a full day by car, use the municipal onsen driving route; if a private soak is essential, compare the private day-bath options.

Shibaseki: the most facilities, and the only family bath

Shibaseki has a regular indoor bath, an outdoor bath, a steam bath and a family bath. Regular admission is ¥300 for adults and ¥100 for children; children below school age enter free. The family bath costs ¥2,000 for up to four people for one hour.

Regular bathing runs 7 am–8 pm, while the family bath runs 9 am–8 pm, with last admission at 7 pm. The building closes to bathers during its daily 1–2 pm cleaning break. Its regular closing day is the second Wednesday of the month, moving to the following day when that Wednesday is a holiday. Check Beppu City’s closure calendar for temporary closures.

Shibaseki is in Noda, outside the JR station walking area. There is parking for 35 cars. Bus access is possible, but involves a walk from the stop; allow extra time in rain or with children, mobility needs or large bags. The facility lists a ramp, grab rails, bathing wheelchairs and an accessible family bath. Confirm the practical transfer arrangements with staff if you need them.

The city classifies the indoor, outdoor and family baths as simple hot springs; the steam bath has a separate sodium-chloride / sulfate spring classification. Tattoo permission appears on the Beppu visitor listing for this specific facility, but follow any on-site instructions.

Horita: a sensible stop on the west side

Horita has a shared indoor bath and a planted, rock-lined outdoor bath, but no private or family bath. Adults pay ¥300; children pay ¥100, with children below school age free. It opens 6:30 am–10:30 pm and closes to visitors for cleaning from 2–3 pm. The usual closure is the first Wednesday of the month, shifted to the next day when it falls on a holiday.

Its location is the reason to choose it. The Beppu IC is about three minutes away by car, and Beppu Station roughly ten minutes. If you are arriving from Yufuin or Kuju, or leaving Beppu toward the mountains, Horita is easier to fit in before entering the city or after checking out. There is a bus from the station’s west exit to Horita Onsen-mae; drivers have about 30 parking spaces.

The city lists an entrance ramp, step-free access, grab rails and a bathroom with ostomy facilities. A bath-use wheelchair is available, with transfer into the facility chair required. Its spring is a piped-in free-flowing simple hot spring. Beppu’s visitor listing currently marks Horita as tattoo-permitted; venue instructions take precedence.

Kiyosen: the rail-friendly choice with two temperatures

Kiyosen is about eight minutes on foot from JR Kamegawa Station. Adult entry is ¥250 and child entry ¥100; children below school age are free. It is open 6:30 am–10:30 pm, with no entry during the 2–3 pm cleaning break. The usual closure is the first Wednesday of the month, moving to the following day when it is a holiday.

There is no outdoor or private bath. Instead, Kiyosen has two indoor pools, a hotter one and a cooler one. That makes it easier to choose a comfortable temperature without changing the whole pool. It is a practical option if you are staying near Kamegawa or already traveling north by rail; it is less compelling as a special detour from central Beppu.

The city lists a ramp, multipurpose toilet, grab rails and bathing wheelchairs. Parking is limited to five spaces, one accessible. Beppu’s visitor listing marks Kiyosen as tattoo-permitted, subject to any current on-site instructions.

Source temperatures are not bath temperatures

Published spring analyses list 53.5°C for Shibaseki at the storage-tank outlet (analysis dated January 8, 2020), 51.8°C for Horita at the storage-tank outlet (February 18, 2019), and 51.4°C for Kiyosen (June 23, 2016). These are source-analysis figures, not current pool temperatures. Shibaseki and Kiyosen are listed as source-fed free-flowing baths; Horita is a piped-in free-flowing bath.

For a short stop from the Beppu IC, use Horita and avoid its cleaning break. Give Shibaseki a longer window if the family bath is the point of the trip, especially since its last entry is 7 pm. Kiyosen is easiest to fold into a rail day around Kamegawa. Check the city’s closure calendar before leaving; a regular closing day does not cover every temporary closure.

Sources

City and visitor information

- [Beppu City: Shibaseki Onsen](https://www.city.beppu.oita.jp/sisetu/shieionsen/detail13.html) - [Beppu City: Horita Onsen](https://www.city.beppu.oita.jp/sisetu/shieionsen/detail16.html) - [Beppu City: Kiyosen](https://www.city.beppu.oita.jp/sisetu/shieionsen/kiyosen.html) - [Beppu City municipal onsen closure calendar](https://www.city.beppu.oita.jp/01onsen/09announce/kiyosen.html) - [Beppu visitor listing: Shibaseki](https://beppu-tourism.com/onsen/shibaseki-onsen/) - [Beppu visitor listing: Horita](https://beppu-tourism.com/onsen/horita-onsen/) - [Beppu visitor listing: Kiyosen](https://beppu-tourism.com/onsen/kiyosen/) - [Shibaseki spring analysis](https://www.city.beppu.oita.jp/doc/sisetu/sieionsen/13/bunseki.pdf) - [Horita spring analysis](https://www.city.beppu.oita.jp/doc/sisetu/sieionsen/16/bunseki.pdf) - [Kiyosen spring analysis](https://www.city.beppu.oita.jp/doc/sisetu/sieionsen/19/bunseki.pdf) - [Beppu hot-spring source photo](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:Redirect/file/Beppu_hotspring-well01.jpg) - [Beppu City hot-spring image](https://www.city.beppu.oita.jp/images/bn_tabi.png)

Tags: Beppu municipal onsen, Shibaseki Onsen, Horita Onsen, Kiyosen, Beppu family bath, Beppu outdoor bath