Kongo Hot Spring

I looked it up online and found this hot spring in the city with a high concentration of minerals, which was very appealing, so I decided to check it out! It was a weekday, so the price was 800 yen. The building was a decent size, with a variety of items sold at the shop and a small rest area. I was surprised to find that the changing room was a little small. The indoor bath was mostly covered with tatami mats, which made it non-slip and comfortable. The water was soft, slightly thick, slimy, and a little salty. It was said to be a carbonated spring, so I warmed up very quickly. There are two indoor baths, one open-air bath, a sauna, and a cold bath. Unfortunately, I didn't use the sauna, so I couldn't see the room temperature, but the cold bath seems to use groundwater, as there was condensation around the faucet. Personally, the indoor bath was warmer and more comfortable. I cooled my hot body in the tatami area outside where I could lie down, then returned to the hot spring. After repeating this three or four times, I had lost over 1kg, and sweating was just like being in a sauna. The hot spring itself was almost odorless and only slightly whitish? Maybe it was calcium in the bathtub that was causing the white color, but you could still taste the richness of the ingredients, and it was a very pleasant hot spring. After getting out, I had lunch at a Chinese restaurant across the street called Tanpopo before heading home. My body felt warm and comfortable while I was eating, and my stomach was so full and refreshed I just wanted to take a nap somewhere before going home. If I had the money, I would have stayed at the attached hotel and taken a hot spring cure. It wasn't as good as the Tsubo-yu at Yunomine Onsen, though. But it did relieve the pain in my legs, hips, and shoulders. This is a bit of a disorganized sentence, but in conclusion, it was a very nice hot spring.

The onsen water and rotemburo are very nice BUT there are no water fountain anywhere so basically you can't stay long there because after staying in the sauna and hot baths people need to drink! I've been to many onsens and mega sentos in Japan and it's the first time I see that... Also there is no rental towel service so if you don't have one you need to buy one there, I did, and it was a hand towel, very convenient for drying all your body 🤔 No wonder this place is not popular, the service level is zero.

The water is very viscous and leaves your skin feeling smooth after a soak. The sauna is a little small, but you can relax there. The cold bath, on the other hand, is small, which I felt was a bit of a drawback. I liked that the open-air bath had plenty of chairs and places to lie down. I think it's a great location to be able to view the Ebisu statue and the natural greenery while soaking in the open-air bath. I also personally think that the friendly receptionists were a big plus; I'd like to come again.

Kongo-no-Yu is located in Gojo City, Nara Prefecture. The hot spring water is 100% natural, pumped up from 1,300 meters underground, and is a sodium chloride bicarbonate hot spring. The bathing water will keep you warm for hours and leave your skin feeling smooth. There are also a variety of baths to enjoy, including an open-air bath with a spacious feel.

We used this bath while staying at the Riverside Hotel. The concentrated sodium chloride spring will leave you feeling warm after your bath. The spring water is rich in minerals and contains over 30,000 mg, but the bath is so large that it doesn't feel that strong. However, you'll feel very tired after your bath, so be careful not to take a long bath.