Yamaga Onsen
Open by month
Open in January. No seasonal closure recorded. New Year (Dec 29 – Jan 3): open.
Open in February — at its best. Yamaga Toro Matsuri with the Thousand-Lantern Dance (Aug 15–16); Hyakka Hyakusai lantern-lit streets on Feb weekends.
Open in March. No seasonal closure recorded.
Open in April. No seasonal closure recorded.
Open in May. No seasonal closure recorded.
Open in June. No seasonal closure recorded.
Open in July. No seasonal closure recorded.
Open in August — at its best. Yamaga Toro Matsuri with the Thousand-Lantern Dance (Aug 15–16); Hyakka Hyakusai lantern-lit streets on Feb weekends.
Open in September. No seasonal closure recorded.
Open in October. No seasonal closure recorded.
Open in November. No seasonal closure recorded.
Open in December. No seasonal closure recorded. New Year (Dec 29 – Jan 3): open.
Checked against the official site on 2026-10-12.
An old spa town in northern Kumamoto. Its centre is Sakurayu, a large wooden public bathhouse rebuilt in Edo-period style, and the town is famous for its gilded paper lanterns.
Nearby
- Yachiyoza Theatre ≈ 10 min by car
- Kikuchi Castle Ruins (Kikuchijo) ≈ 30 min by car
- Miike Coal Mine Miyanohara Pit ≈ 55 min by car
- Manda Pit ≈ 55 min by car
- Reigando Cave & Unganzenji ≈ 55 min by car
Travel times are rough estimates by car.
- Best time
- February, August — Yamaga Toro Matsuri with the Thousand-Lantern Dance (Aug 15–16); Hyakka Hyakusai lantern-lit streets on Feb weekends
- Getting there
- About 70 min by Kyushu Sanko bus from Kumamoto Sakuramachi Bus Terminal to Yamaga Bus Center; about 50 min by Kyushu Sanko bus from Shin-Tamana Station
- Fee
- Sakurayu ¥350
- Good to know
- Sakurayu is open 6:00–24:00 and closes on the 3rd Wednesday. In 2026 the lantern festival was scaled down after the July Kumamoto earthquake.
- Time needed
- 4 h
Checked against the official Japanese website on 2026-10-12. Report outdated info