Onsen

Two weeks ago we decided to visit a family bath in the Aso region of Kumamoto. Usually when we visit a hot spring, we’re separated and spend most of the time chatting to wrinkly old people who want to know where we’re from, why we came to Japan and so on.

We chose a place in Oguni town Yuuka kazoku-furo　裕花　家族風呂 which has 14 baths made of stone, cut stone, and Japanese cypress. The best things about family baths are the privacy, quietness, and fresh bath water. Our bath and accompanying room was lovely. The only drawback of these baths is the time limit of 50 minutes which can seem just a tad short by the time the bath fills and you wash up. I suppose you could pay for two sessions though. If you're ever in Kumamoto, I highly recommend the Yuuka family baths.