下の湯

Atsumi Onsen, Shimoyu. I can't remember when it's been since I last went. There's no parking lot, so instead of parking at Kawabata, I parked at the former site of the Shonai Bank Atsumi Branch or the Dewa Chamber of Commerce and Industry Atsumi Branch Office. Shimoyu doesn't have a shower. There's only Kamiyu. It's becoming more of a local bathing spot, where people don't have baths at home and instead soak in the hot springs every day, I run into all kinds of people, and I only go to Kamiyu if it's absolutely necessary. The handmade cedar base that we used to bathe in as children is still there, although it's chipped, and it reminded me of my gentle and beautiful grandmother. The contribution has increased by 100 yen, from 200 to 300 yen. I took a bath at home, but I wanted to soak in the hot springs from New Year's Day, so I called the inn in the hot springs, but day-trip bathing was completely prohibited during the New Year holidays, so I gave up and went to the local public bath. Yunosato opens at 2pm, so I went to Shimoyu with a local old lady. The New Year's Day morning bath, when no one else was there, was so hot that the old ladies were already filling the bath with water and getting ready to bathe before they even got changed. She stopped me from getting in, saying that if the water was too lukewarm, the next person would be disappointed or scolded, and that it would be a nuisance to cause trouble. It gets hot quickly, too. I think it's just the right size. It might be difficult to get water if there are a lot of local old ladies around, but if there's no one else around, please just turn it down to a comfortable temperature. Don't worry, just enjoy your bath!

Public bath, 300 yen entry Unmanned. Beautifully maintained and excellent. The bathroom was larger and newer than I expected. A purely public bath with no showers, etc. Sunday, 1:45 PM; the sign said 2 PM, but cleaning was finished and I could enter. I had the bath all to myself; two people came in later. The water temperature felt like 47 degrees Celsius! Extremely hot, almost numbing. A scent of Glauber's salt and hydrogen sulfide; the clear, colorless water overflows. For hot bath lovers, this is an amazing bath; the feeling is incredible. Having such high-quality water all to myself is pure bliss. I repeatedly soaked for a minute or two, then got out, but the power of the hot water is amazing. Located in an inconspicuous place like an alley. Atsumi Onsen itself is unassuming, but the water is wonderful, and this public bath is unpretentious, not crowded, and the water is top-notch—5 stars!

Since it was a walk, I walked a little along the river and found a drinking fountain by a large red bridge, so I took a sip. Before I knew it, I'd arrived at Shimoyu. The bath was small, with only a faucet at the wash area. The spring water had a faint sulfurous smell and flowed directly from the source. The entrance fee was 300 yen, and a local told me I didn't have to use it, but it was fine if I wanted to. However, there were cleaning staff, so I added 300 yen worth. I had a casual chat with the staff, and it was a lot of fun. I think the bath temperature was easily over 42 degrees. I poured plenty of water over myself and took a leisurely bath, but it was still quite hot. I let water run from the faucet to lower the temperature, but it was still hot. It seems that people in Tohoku prefer hot baths.

I stopped by on my way back from Niigata. It's a public bath in Atsumi Onsen, and apparently there's also a public bath called Shomen-yu. The hot spring water is quite hot, so I had to add water before I could get in. It had a slight hot spring scent. There was also a drinking fountain on the bridge. Next time I'd like to try the public bath at the inn♨

Unfortunately, as of September 25, 2021, as a COVID-19 countermeasure, the outdoor baths are currently closed to visitors from outside the prefecture! Please be careful. The outdoor baths at Atsumi Onsen were closed from morning until midnight due to cleaning. The fee was 200 yen. The water was colorless and incredibly hot! But it did warm you up!