Shibu Onsen

photo by Totti · CC BY-SA 4.0

photo by Totti · CC BY-SA 4.0

‘Nine’ and ‘toil’ are pronounced the same: taking the nine baths means washing away your troubles.

The hot spring town has nine public baths (九湯めぐり) along the main street: guests staying there receive a key to all nine, and a towel to be stamped at each stop. The wordplay is in the name: ‘nine’ (九, ku) and ‘toil, suffering’ (苦労, kurō) are pronounced the same, and the circuit is said to wash away your troubles. The guests, known as ‘one-night residents’ (一泊住民), stroll in yukata from one bath to the next.

A hot spring town in the Yokoyu valley, among the oldest in Nagano, with multi-storey wooden buildings in Meiji-Taishō style along the main street. According to tradition, it has been open for 1,300 years.

ℹ️ The area (street, bridges, shops) is always accessible. The nine public baths have their own hours and key: free for those staying in the town, with a charge for those not staying overnight.

🚉 Yudanaka · 24 min walk

Sources: shibuonsen.net

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