Hakone-Yumoto Onsen

photo by 663highland · CC BY 2.5

photo by Kounoichi · CC BY-SA 4.0

It is the oldest of Hakone's 17 hot springs, discovered, according to tradition, in 738.

It is the gateway to the whole Hakone hot spring area, the first of the seventeen historic onsen (箱根十七湯) you reach when you get off the train: it has the largest number of springs, ryokan and visitors in the area. According to tradition it was discovered in 738 by the monk Jōjōbō, a disciple of Taichō; since then it has been the oldest of the seventeen. In the Edo period, with the Tōkaidō road running close by, it became a regular stop for travellers heading to Kyoto.

It grew up along the Haya River at the foot of Mount Yusaka (whose name means ‘steep slope where hot water gushes out’), and today it is the busiest hot spring resort in Hakone.

ℹ️ The area (street, bridges, shops) is always accessible; individual ryokan often offer day bathing (日帰り入浴) with their own hours and prices. Terminus station of the Hakone Tozan mountain railway, 15 minutes from Odawara.

🚉 Hakone-Yumoto · in front of the station

Sources: sevenseas-magazine.com · hakone.or.jp · hakoneyumoto.com

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