When you are physically or mentally exhausted, how do you heal yourself? Today, I would like to tell you my favorite way to treat myself. It is Hot Spring!!!! In this blog, I’m going to introduce the definition of hot springs and some popular and unique ones in Japan. Also, I would like to share a small tip to enjoy it to the fullest!

 

○What is Hot Spring?

It is a spring of geothermally heated groundwater. In Japan, the groundwater which contains stipulated constituents or the one over 25℃ is defined as a hot spring. Taking a nice warm bath makes you relax, moreover, some hot springs have medical value due to their minerals.

 

 

○Kusatsu（草津）

It is one of the most popular hot springs in Japan due to its quality of water and the long history. It is in Gunma Prefecture. You can enjoy Kusatsu hot spring not only at hotels or ryokan, but also at public baths. When you visit there, I strongly recommend you watch Yumomi which is a traditional method to cool down the really high temperature of hot spring water.

 

 

○Shima (四万)

Shima hot spring has 1,200 years of history, and the nostalgic townscape is one of the best things about this place. Also, if you are the big fan of “Spirited Away”（千と千尋の神隠し）, you definitely should visit there, because there is a ryokan said to be the model building of this film (Sekizenkan、積善館).

 

 

○Zigokudani（地獄谷）

This is a hot spring in Nagano Prefecture. What unique about this place is you can enjoy bathing with wild monkeys. Since Nagano Prefecture is arctic weather in wintertime, monkeys come to join humans and take a bath together.

 

 

○Tip

After you enjoy hot water and view from the bath, you must be really relaxed. You probably sweat a lot and get thirsty. Then, what you must do is to drink water, but there is another thing that you may want to do to be more refreshed. It is drinking Coffee with a lot of milk, called Co-hi Gyuunyuu（コーヒー牛乳）. It is a bottle of sweet Coffee, and its taste is like iced cafe au lait. No doubt its sweetness heals your body and mental. I would like you to enjoy this drink as well as hot springs!

 

The hot springs which I introduced above are only a few of the amazing ones in Japan. Furthermore, there are many wonderful hot springs not only in Japan but also all over the world. I would like you to have a hot spring tour some day and seek for your best hot spring! Thank you for reading!