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With the owner Ms. Shirakawa, in front of the entrance — With the owner Ms. *Shirakawa*, in front of the entrance

We visited Yoshida Onsen “Kame no yu” in Shōmyōji, Ebino, Miyazaki.

When you open the door, you can find a traditional reception counter called Bandai in Japanese. Sometimes it is unstaffed. Anyway, put the entrance fee into the box to take a bath.

The dressing room is quite simple, and also aged. As there are no lockers, we recommend you to leave your valuables in your car.

The bathroom is nicely aged as well. Kame no yu has been running for 90 years, you can feel the history in every single part of the building. It is said the hot spring treats neuralgia and skin diseases, and can make the recovery faster after surgeries.

The water is carbonated and has an iron-like flavor, and the temperature is 39°C (102.2°F). It is an ideal bath for a long soak in summer (in winter, the water is heated up), that will let you relax deeply. Also, as the hot spring naturally rises up from the ground, the water is always fresh.

Shizuyoshi (the name of the man in the bath) is 80 years old, and comes to Kame no yu every day after the farm work. He is still active and a leader of a local elderly union.

Kame no yu is located in the Yoshida Onsen area which used to be thriving, crowded with visitors, and filled with the sound of Japanese drums and Shamisen. Now, you hardly see tourists in Yoshida Onsen, and hot springs are mainly used by the locals, especially the elderly. And what is surprising is that the locals had been giving a pack of rice to the hot spring owner instead of the entrance fee up until years ago, 2006. There was a bartering community even in the 21st century. That is actually a little bit attractive for us, it would give us an experience we can never have in the urban life. Also, we don't need to pay tax in bartering...