We visited “Yunomoto Onsen” in Kamamuta, Takaharu, Nishimorokata District, Miyazaki. Its hot spring source is quite old. The oldest record was made in the Edo period (1600 - 1868).

Yunomoto Onsen opened in 1902 as a resort for medicinal hot spring bathing.

Rena (right) and Mako (left) welcomed us with a smile at the reception. Rene is the owner’s wife and Mako is a younger sister of Rena.

The dressing room is big and well maintained.

What is special in Yunomoto Onsen is its strongly carbonated water. This bath is really strongly carbonated and cool, hence you will feel a tingling on your skin if you get in the bath. The layout of the women’s bathroom is the same.

Cool spring water is bubbling up from the bottom of the bathtub, you can see small bubbles rising up. The strength of carbonation changes depending on the season and weather.

When you soak your hand in the bath, you will soon see small bubbles are getting attached to the skin surface.

They are frequent bathers Hiroshi (left) and Shigeaki (right). Shigeaki has been coming to Yunomoto Onsen since he was 9 years old. They say some bathers prefer to take a really long soak, soaking more than one hour.

This is an open-air bath which is carbonated but not strong. The water is rather warm because it is slightly heated up, also the colour changes according to the temperature. The owner Katsuyoshi says he is planning to extend this open-air bath.

This is a hot bath filled with the same hot spring water fully heated up. As a result of heating, the water colour completely changes to brown due to oxidation. As the water contains a rich amount of iron ion, pipes are maintained on every closing day not to clogged with deposited iron minerals.

This is a water well where you can take cool spring water. During our interview, many visitors came here to get the water. They say the water is good for cooking as well as drinking.

These onigiris are made from rice cooked with the cool spring water. The rice is slightly green coloured and somewhat chewy. We actually ate them and they were pretty good.

There is Miya-no-uto nearby Yunomoto Onsen where, according to a folklore, Emperor Jimmu spent his childhood.

Although it is small, you can relax under a big tree.

MAP

INFORMATION

Name: Yunomoto Onsen

Address: 7535 Kamamuta, Takaharu, Nishimorokata District, Miyazaki

Tel: 0984-42-3701

Access (Car): 51 min from the centre of Miyazaki City. 49 min from the Miyazaki airport

Parking Lot: 60

Opening Hours: 10:00 - 22:00

Closing Days: Every first Wednesday

Price: JPY 500