A practical English guide to Ureshino in Saga: the hot spring town, the tea fields, the baths and access from Nagasaki and Fukuoka.
Operational details such as opening hours, admission fees, and train times can change. Prefer official pages and reconfirm before you travel (sources checked on 07 November 2026).
Why visit
- Ureshino is a hot spring town in western Saga, set in a small valley of tea fields and wooded hills. Its waters are known for being high in sodium and bicarbonate, which makes them unusually soft on the skin, and the town has a long history as a place to soak and recover.
- There are two bath areas, Ureshino and Hizen-Yamaguchi side, with public baths, foot baths and inns of different sizes. The surrounding hills are covered with tea bushes, and the town is one of the main tea-producing areas of the prefecture, with shops selling leaves and sweets.
- Ureshino is close to Nagasaki and Fukuoka by train and road, and it works as a quiet two-night stop between the cities, or as a day of bathing on the way to the coast.
Top places and highlights
Hot spring baths
Public baths and inn baths, with water known for its soft feel.
Tea fields
Hillside plantations and shops selling Saga tea and tea sweets.
Foot baths and streets
Small baths and lanes in the centre, easy to walk.
Hills and rivers
Wooded slopes and a small river running through the town.
Food and drink
- S
- a
- g
- a
- t
- e
- a
- i
- s
- t
- h
- e
- l
- o
- c
- a
- l
- s
- p
- e
- c
- i
- a
- l
- i
- t
- y
- ,
- s
- e
- r
- v
- e
- d
- w
- i
- t
- h
- s
- w
- e
- e
- t
- s
- a
- n
- d
- s
- o
- l
- d
- i
- n
- s
- h
- o
- p
- s
- a
- r
- o
- u
- n
- d
- t
- h
- e
- t
- o
- w
- n
- .
- T
- h
- e
- i
- n
- n
- s
- s
- e
- r
- v
- e
- m
- u
- l
- t
- i
- –
- c
- o
- u
- r
- s
- e
- m
- e
- a
- l
- s
- w
- i
- t
- h
- l
- o
- c
- a
- l
- v
- e
- g
- e
- t
- a
- b
- l
- e
- s
- ,
- b
- e
- e
- f
- a
- n
- d
- t
- o
- f
- u
- ,
- a
- n
- d
- t
- h
- e
- r
- e
- a
- r
- e
- a
- f
- e
- w
- s
- m
- a
- l
- l
- r
- e
- s
- t
- a
- u
- r
- a
- n
- t
- s
- i
- n
- t
- h
- e
- c
- e
- n
- t
- r
- e
- .
Getting there and around
- U
- r
- e
- s
- h
- i
- n
- o
- i
- s
- r
- e
- a
- c
- h
- e
- d
- b
- y
- t
- h
- e
- N
- i
- s
- h
- i
- –
- K
- y
- u
- s
- h
- u
- l
- i
- n
- e
- t
- o
- U
- r
- e
- s
- h
- i
- n
- o
- –
- O
- n
- s
- e
- n
- s
- t
- a
- t
- i
- o
- n
- ,
- w
- i
- t
- h
- b
- u
- s
- e
- s
- o
- n
- w
- a
- r
- d
- t
- o
- t
- h
- e
- b
- a
- t
- h
- a
- r
- e
- a
- s
- ,
- a
- n
- d
- b
- y
- r
- o
- a
- d
- f
- r
- o
- m
- N
- a
- g
- a
- s
- a
- k
- i
- a
- n
- d
- F
- u
- k
- u
- o
- k
- a
- .
- A
- c
- a
- r
- m
- a
- k
- e
- s
- t
- h
- e
- t
- e
- a
- f
- i
- e
- l
- d
- s
- a
- n
- d
- t
- h
- e
- s
- u
- r
- r
- o
- u
- n
- d
- i
- n
- g
- h
- i
- l
- l
- s
- e
- a
- s
- i
- e
- r
- t
- o
- r
- e
- a
- c
- h
- .
Where to stay
- A
- c
- c
- o
- m
- m
- o
- d
- a
- t
- i
- o
- n
- i
- s
- m
- o
- s
- t
- l
- y
- r
- y
- o
- k
- a
- n
- a
- n
- d
- h
- o
- t
- e
- l
- s
- o
- f
- d
- i
- f
- f
- e
- r
- e
- n
- t
- s
- i
- z
- e
- s
- ,
- m
- a
- n
- y
- w
- i
- t
- h
- t
- h
- e
- i
- r
- o
- w
- n
- b
- a
- t
- h
- s
- a
- n
- d
- m
- e
- a
- l
- s
- .
- B
- o
- o
- k
- a
- h
- e
- a
- d
- a
- t
- w
- e
- e
- k
- e
- n
- d
- s
- a
- n
- d
- i
- n
- a
- u
- t
- u
- m
- n
- .
Best time to visit
- S
- p
- r
- i
- n
- g
- a
- n
- d
- a
- u
- t
- u
- m
- n
- a
- r
- e
- t
- h
- e
- m
- o
- s
- t
- c
- o
- m
- f
- o
- r
- t
- a
- b
- l
- e
- .
- S
- u
- m
- m
- e
- r
- i
- s
- h
- o
- t
- a
- n
- d
- h
- u
- m
- i
- d
- ,
- w
- i
- t
- h
- t
- h
- e
- t
- e
- a
- f
- i
- e
- l
- d
- s
- a
- t
- t
- h
- e
- i
- r
- g
- r
- e
- e
- n
- e
- s
- t
- .
- W
- i
- n
- t
- e
- r
- i
- s
- c
- o
- l
- d
- b
- u
- t
- q
- u
- i
- e
- t
- ,
- w
- i
- t
- h
- t
- h
- e
- b
- a
- t
- h
- s
- a
- t
- t
- h
- e
- i
- r
- b
- e
- s
- t
- .
Practical tips
- Some public baths are small and have limited hours.
- Tattoos may not be permitted at some baths; check in advance.
- Tea shops close early in the afternoon.
Suggested day-trip outline
- Morning: train to Ureshino-Onsen.
- Late morning: a public bath or foot bath.
- Lunch: a local set meal in the centre.
- Afternoon: a tea shop and the tea fields.
- Late afternoon: a second bath at the inn.
- Evening: dinner at the ryokan.
Before you go
Timetables, fares, admission fees, and seasonal access rules can change. Check the official tourism and transport sites linked below for the latest information before you travel.
Explore More of Japan
Published guides that pair with this one:
- Ureshino Onsen Guide: Saga’s Tea Town and Hot Spring Water
- Imari Travel Guide: Porcelain Villages in Saga
- Ogi Travel Guide: The Kofun Tombs and the Rice Plains of Saga
- Hitoyoshi Travel Guide: The Kuma River, Boat Trips and Castle Town Streets
- Kikuchi Travel Guide: The Gorge, the Valley and the Water of Kumamoto
Browse every Kyushu guide on this site for the rest of the region.
Sources
- city.ureshino.lg.jp (checked 2026-11-07)
- pref.saga.lg.jp (checked 2026-11-07)
Leave a Reply