Kikuchi Grand Hotel Kumamoto

The course meal was delicious, and I enjoyed the free ice cream after bathing. The place shows its age, but it's kept very clean. The hot spring water flows freely and isn't cooled with cold water, so it's said to run a little hot. The slightly viscous alkaline water felt really pleasant. I'd like to stay again if I get the chance.

The website describes this relatively large hotel, part of the Kumamoto Electric Railway Group, as having a simple radon spring with a radiation level of 25.4 Mach. I couldn't check the analysis on site. Since the usual range is 8.25 to 50 Mach, it likely counts as a simple, weakly radioactive spring. I appreciate that the water addition ratio is clearly posted, and that the spring water doesn't seem to be circulated. Water is added a little all year, at a ratio of 95 parts source water to 5 parts water in summer and 99 to 1 in winter. That's a downside, though if the water were circulated as well, it would be hard to know how diluted it was. I visited in November, when the bath was about 42°C. There are two large baths. One is a two-level cascade, with water spilling from the upper tub into the lower one, which was a little cooler at around 41°C. The amenities were Phoenix, a brand often used in commercial baths. Having separate shampoo in blue and conditioner in purple was unusual. A hair dryer and water dispenser were free to use. The Toshiba dispenser had a weak flow, but the water marked "Kikuchi's famous water" was nicely chilled and delicious. Hot spring details: simple, weakly radioactive spring, hypotonic, weakly alkaline, high temperature. Source temperature 46.7°C. pH unknown, listed as weakly alkaline, 7.5-8.5. Dissolved substances, flow rate, flow method, heating, and disinfection are unknown. Water is added, but it is not circulated. Facility details, as of November 2025: day bath ¥600. Hours are 11:00 AM-3:00 PM and 7:00 PM-9:00 PM. Shampoo and other products are available, conditioner is sold separately. No sauna or cold bath. No open-air bath here, though Hime-no-Yu has one. Hair dryers are free.

The bath water is slippery, as you'd expect from an alkaline simple spring. Even the shower and the hot water in the guest room sink come from the hot spring, so there must be a lot of water available. I could smell sulfur, or hydrogen sulfide, while showering and assumed it was a sulfur spring, although the water is described as tasteless and odorless. There wasn't a detailed list of the ingredients, so I can't tell whether the smell comes from sewage or hydrogen sulfide in the spring. I looked it up and found that some hot springs do contain hydrogen sulfide, so that's probably the explanation. To me, it smells like sewage, and I think they should post a detailed ingredient list. The building is old and has stains in places, but it's been cleaned well and isn't dirty. The toilet even has a washlet.

The water was so good that we made time to bathe before both dinner and breakfast. The meals were satisfying, and the Kumamoto shochu with dinner was clean tasting and delicious. All the staff were very friendly. We visited in late March on a family trip. The accommodation felt dated, but the tatami room was a new experience for us and the bedding was laid out neatly. It's a quiet place to stay. I recommend an early walk around the nearby parks and shrines. On Saturday night we tried to get a beer at an izakaya, but it was completely full. If you want to have a beer there, I'd book ahead. We bought a few bottles at a nearby convenience store instead. Next time, I think I'd rent a car and come back. Make good use of the hot springs, the water really is great. ^^