Shimobe Onsen

photo by Totti · CC BY-SA 4.0

In 2004 a scandal revealed a spring at 21.7°C, below the legal threshold for being called an onsen.

Shimobe's historic springs are among the coldest in Japan (27–32°C), and most facilities heat the water before bathing.

Hot spring town in the municipality of Minobu, along the Fuji River; according to tradition the spring appeared in 836, and the local lord Anayama Nobutoki ordered its restoration in 1578 after a flood. Tradition also links the place to Takeda Shingen, who is said to have treated wounded soldiers there in a hidden spring, a story that historians consider to be of later origin. In 2004 an inspection found a spring that had dropped to 21.7°C, below the legal threshold of 25°C that defines an onsen in Japan: the search for new springs led, in 2006, to the discovery of one at 49.7°C.

ℹ️ The area (street, paths) is always accessible; the ryokan offer day bathing with their own hours. Shimobe Onsen Station on the JR Minobu Line, then 2.5 km by local road, or 5 minutes by car from the Shimobe Onsen-Hayakawa interchange.

🚉 Hadakajima · 12 min walk

Sources: ja.wikipedia.org

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