川匂の湯場

♪ Dear Ninomiya, the guardian deity of this place, please pray. ♪ Because of your blessings, the hot springs flow. ♪ Ninomiya, the great place of Sagami. This hot spring is also mentioned in the popular "Kyu-Ninomiya Ondo" song of the early Showa period. The water is said to be sulfurous. I can almost smell a faint fragrance coming from the puddle... When I visited, there were water hyacinths floating in the puddle. It would be lucky to see the flowers. There was a bug net leaned over, presumably to scoop up trash.

Who knew there was a hot spring inn here... And it was a three-story wooden building. If it had survived to the present day, it would have formed a temple town for Kawamuko Shrine and might have been a little more lively. Come to think of it, Ninomiya Onsen, which used to be near Nakazato, had a similar background. I didn't know that.

This hot spring is located a short walk from Kawaniwa Shrine. There's a cavity under the rock where the water springs up, and two or three large red goldfish were swimming around. Apparently there used to be a three-story hot spring inn here, and it was very busy. It was a holiday that made me think back to 100 years ago♨️

Currently, there are no baths or inns. It is said that there was once a magnificent hot spring inn where guests could bathe in the mineral spring water that was heated. The building collapsed in the Great Kanto Earthquake, and the water source changed. Now, only a small amount of spring water remains.

There were lots of ragweed floating on the surface of the water. I wonder if the water temperature is just right or if the water quality is suitable? It must be beautiful when the flowers bloom.