Yawatahama Kuroyu Onsen

This day-trip hot spring is located near the roadside station, Minato Oasis Yawatahama Minato. Adult admission is ¥650 on weekdays (¥750 on weekends and holidays). The facility is immaculately clean. This is a rare hot spring called a moor spring. Moor springs contain abundant plant-derived organic matter, leaving skin feeling smooth and silky, earning them the nickname "beauty bath." The sauna was spacious and clean. Personal sauna mats are also provided. The open-air bath also features outdoor bathing chairs, perfect for sauna enthusiasts. There's a parking lot right in front of the facility. Water quality: Iron(II)-sodium bicarbonate cold mineral spring (hypotonic alkaline cold mineral spring) I thought the water wasn't black at all...⬇⬇ ~Excerpt from the official website~ When Minato Yu first opened, its water was quite dark, but as the color began to fade, we had it analyzed by an expert, who found that the amount of humus had decreased. Although the amount of humus has decreased, the hot spring ingredients dissolved in the water have remained almost the same as before. Due to natural phenomena, the amount of humus has decreased and the water has become lighter in color, but the efficacy of the hot spring has not changed.

On my way back from fishing, I stopped by a hot spring. I'd been curious about this place for a while, but never had the chance to go until now. The woman at the reception desk told me, "Today, you can enter for 100 yen off the regular price!" Lucky me! I felt like I'd gotten a great deal as I soaked in the hot spring. 👏 The hot spring was more compact than I'd imagined, with an indoor bath, an open-air bath, a sauna, and a cold plunge pool all crammed into a limited space. I read the description of the "Moor Spring," which apparently is known as a "beauty spring." Hmm, maybe my skin's gotten nicer too? 😂 Apparently, when it first opened, the water was dark, which is the origin of the name "Yawatahama Kuroyu Onsen" (Yawatahama Black Hot Spring). Now it looks almost like normal water, but the composition hasn't changed since then. I'm really happy to have another hot spring I can visit on my way back from fishing. 👏

I heard about Kuroyu, the only moor spring in Shikoku, and as a hot spring lover, I wanted to visit it once! So I made the trip from Matsuyama City. I'd heard that the black color comes from ancient humus components in the strata, and that the water is alkaline and smooth. However, the water was almost clear and not as smooth, which was disappointing. 😭 It seems that the water has been diluted over the 10 years since it opened. ❗️ It's not worth traveling all the way here. 😅 The bathing fee is 700 yen, 600 yen on Wednesdays. There are only two baths: an indoor bath and an outdoor bath. There was a TV in the lounge and three coin-operated massage chairs, each costing 200 yen for 15 minutes. 💺 I thought it was a nice spot for locals to relax.

I visited after hearing about a black hot spring that wasn't actually black, but the water was colorless and transparent! Both the indoor and outdoor baths had beach chairs, which was nice as a substitute for the reclining bath (though there wasn't one). The sauna's TV had a channel change function, which was a bit annoying as it kept changing channels, but I felt like I was enjoying Yawatahama by following the local customs. Open-air baths on sunny days are always great!

The good thing about this hot spring is that you can also use the sauna for just the bathing fee! It seems it hasn't been around for a long time, so it's relatively clean! However, since it's a small public bath, there are no electric baths or jet baths or anything like that. There is an open-air bath. Well, it was just a normal hot spring? Or public bath?