Echigonosato Shinran Saint "Saiho" Hot Spring

The spring water here is a strong sodium chloride spring, as is common throughout Japan, but unusually it contains iodine. It also contains ammonia. Ammonium springs are rare. In Hokkaido, where I live, Teshio Onsen is famous. Why is it such an unusual hot spring? Perhaps the clue lies in the Iwafune-oki oil and gas field, which can be seen offshore when looking out over the Sea of Japan from the hot spring. The Iwafune-oki oil and gas field is Japan's only offshore oil field, and it appears to still be extracting natural gas and oil. Further south of the facility is the ENEOS iodine plant. This is a benefit of being located in an area blessed with such underground resources. By the way, although this spring is famous for its ammonium spring, it doesn't have an extremely strong ammonia smell. It seems it used to be much stronger, though. Nowadays, I'm more concerned with the oily smell and the Isodine-like iodine smell. As is typical of a sodium chloride spring, the long-lasting warmth after bathing was the best in Niigata in late autumn. But despite this quirky hot spring, the facility itself was even more bizarre. Starting with a giant statue of Saint Shinran, there are many exhibits throughout the facility. It feels like it's been left untouched for many years, like a post-apocalyptic world. Looking closely, you'll find interesting exhibits such as picture scrolls depicting the life of Saint Shinran, but from a distance it's probably a bit scary. By the way, the lady who appears to be the owner was very nice.

I went to Nishiho no Yu, a hot spring bath located along the coast of Tainai City. The entrance door is open, but the inside is dimly lit, and without a sign saying it's open, it's hard to tell if it's OK to enter. It takes courage. The lobby is dimly lit, and antique ornaments are scattered around, creating an eerie atmosphere that's almost a little scary. I paid 500 yen at the reception and walked down a long, dimly lit corridor. There are remains of a restaurant, barber shop, and rest area, so it may have been popular in the past. Now it's just a hot spring. The hot spring entrance is at the end of the hallway, but I didn't see anyone from reception to the bath. There were three people in the hot spring, but I think they were locals. This hot spring is also brown and smells of iodine, and is a hot spring directly from the source. While Shiono Yu, which has the same spring quality, is always crowded, this one is empty, so you might be able to relax once you get used to the dim light. It's definitely a bit scary at night, though. It's open until 8 PM.

Day-use bathing costs 500 yen. Payment is made at the reception counter. The men's bath is located at the back, and the hallway lights are not on, making it feel far away. The hot spring water is a coffee-colored moor spring with a distinctive smell. You get used to it after a while and don't notice it as much. The large bathtub is about 43 degrees Celsius, which is just right. Be careful, as the water at the outlet is about 48 degrees Celsius. The small bathtub is about 42 degrees Celsius, which is a little lukewarm. It has the typical moor spring smell. It was once said to be the hot spring with the strangest smell in Japan (YouTube). It was also featured on TV as having a "toilet smell" (YouTube). Due to problems with the hot spring source, it became unusable and was changed to a mild, strong saline spring for the general public (YouTube). I think the low number of bathers might be due to its past reputation.

Shampoo and body soap provided. Hair dryers available. Lockers with locks available. Bath fee: ¥500. Towels: ¥200. The changing room appears to have been recently renovated and is now very clean. The water is a hot, brownish color, and there's also a cold bath. There's a slight oil smell, but it doesn't linger as badly as Niitsu Onsen. The shower pressure is satisfactory, and it's not a push-button shower, which is a nice touch. On a Sunday evening in January, there were a total of 10 carts parked inside and outside the fence. While I expected most of the visitors to be elderly, there were actually people of all ages, from young people in their 20s and 30s to families with elementary school children. The inside has a Showa-era atmosphere, as if time had stopped.

Both the location and the quality of the spring water were shocking. The sudden appearance of a giant statue. A strong oily smell. The interior of the facility exuded a unique atmosphere. Provincial, Showa-era, edgy, Owners usually end up like this. That's how it is. (lol) The quality of the spring water makes you hesitate to enter. You can't really tell the effect if you only go in once, but hot spring visitors will want some proof that they've been there. In the summer, the oily smell mixes with sweat, and it's a bit of a nightmare. By the way, I have a fear of gigantism, so I was distracted the whole time.