Experience a new hot spring cure with warmth and intestinal health
Ryokan Onuma (Miyagi)
This hot spring inn has been in operation for around 120 years in Naruko Onsen, which was founded 1,200 years ago. The fifth-generation bathkeeper promotes modern hot spring therapy, centered around the hotel's own source of baking soda. The eight baths allow you to warm your body from the inside out and stimulate blood flow. In addition to self-catering, there are also plans that include a healthy meal consisting of one soup and five side dishes (from 12,980 yen per person, one night and two meals included, for two people per room). A fasting plan incorporating smoothies will also be launched in the summer of 2023.
Enjoy the 160-tatami-sized bath made entirely of cypress
Sukayu Hot Springs Inn (Aomori)
This long-established inn has been bustling with visitors for its hot spring cures since the Edo period, and was designated the first national hot spring resort in the Showa period. Its famous mixed bathing "Hiba Sennin Bath" has four different hot spring sources in one bath, and it has long been said that "three rounds in ten days will cure all kinds of illnesses." The hot spring cure building is also adjacent to the facility. There is also a hot spring cure consultation room within the building where you can get advice on bathing techniques, so even first-time visitors to the hot spring cure can use it with peace of mind.
Photo: Sukayu Onsen 
Stay in a renovated old house within walking distance of the public bath
WATOWA (Shimane)
Yunotsu Onsen flourished as a shipping port for the Iwami Silver Mine, a World Heritage Site, and provided healing for miners. The hot springs here flow without adding water or heating. WATOWA, which opened in 2021, treats this hot spring town as a single inn, combining a guesthouse, laundry, and restaurant. You can visit the communal bathhouse, Motoyu (bathing fee 450 yen), and enjoy the chef's cuisine at the restaurant, or you can cook your own meals using local ingredients.
