Ganiyu — Local services in Oita

An onsen for the ones who dare :) Entrance free! No parking. Outdoor onsen, completely exposed on the banks of a river! You can see it from the surrounding streets, you reach a point where there is a sign with an arrow and go down some stairs to a small stream under a bridge. Under this bridge used to be the changing area with wooden boxes to put your stuff but when I visited the wooden boxes were not there anymore, just a sign. I took off my clothes there nevertheless and just put a towel around my private parts to walk the 10 meters to the onsen (not because I'm shy but for modesty). Guess you can't wash yourself proper with shampoo out in the open as your shampoo will end up in the river so I just washed myself fast with water (temperature outside was like 9 degrees), put the towel on my head and entered the onsen. The water temperature was lukewarm, probably because the water flow from the pipe was not constant but between time intervals. The water that came in from the pipe was warm but the flow was not enough to keep the onsen hot. Further more if you check on the internet in peoples photos there is a stone crab where the water used to flow in the onsen, the crab is gone and instead of it there is just the pipe. Before I enter there was a family with a child using it as a footbath, I waited for them to finish before I get in. The surroundings are beautiful with the river flowing with ducks and birds going around. I've heard that you can enter with your towel or swimming suit but I preferred to be naked inside the bath. Definitely a surreal experience, would give it 5 stars if the water was hot. Coming out just went under the bridge again to wipe myself and put my clothes back on. Gensen...

A fabulous once in a lifetime experience of an onsen in the wild! It was drizzling, the river was full of flowing waters. We hurriedly changed under the bridge, placed our shoes in a dry area, and we went for it. An hour of Ganiyu all to ourselves amidst the wild river. The water was overflowing and clean; the temperature was just right for onsen enthusiasts like us. For modesty reasons, just wrap a huge towel and shed it off just before you climb into the onsen....

Went in at night, so it was dark and quiet. Nice little bath, but the water flow is quite sporadic so it was only slightly warm.

For access, As others have stated, there is a sign and a small stair going down next to the sign, you can get undressed under the bridge, but there is no changing facility anymore.

Nice experience for those who aren't too concerned about being naked in between...