湯之谷温泉(野湯)

This hot spring, which was featured on nationally-broadcast television (though its location wasn't clearly stated), was feared to be damaged by a typhoon this summer (2020). Sure enough, one of the pipes carrying hot spring water from the opposite bank was washed away. The other survived, but it didn't reach the Goemon bath. We managed to piece together the pipes using pieces scattered around. Firewood was sold downstream at the Shimoshikagawa Farmers Market for 300 yen. It was well-dried and lit easily and burned well (we lit it with some gerunen). It's a simple spring with a faint sulfurous aroma. There's nothing quite like collecting your own hot spring water and boiling it yourself. It's amazing. 1. Work gloves, gerunen, a fan, a lighter, string, and a knife or cutter are essential. 2. You'll have to descend a fairly steep slope. Sneakers are a must; there's a handmade changing room. 3. The source of the hot spring is next to the waterfall on the opposite bank. You can tell by the white discoloration of the rocks. From there, the hot water is sent through pipes.

I usually use it once every two or three months, but when I went in April, the hose carrying the hot spring water had been stretched across the valley, making it impossible to fill the Goemon bath in its original location. (The hose is tightly secured to the tank holding the hot spring water with hexagonal nuts and rope, and the extremely thick hose extends uninterrupted across the valley, rendering it unusable.) Perhaps this is due to the fact that the downhill slope along the road leading to the bath is dangerously slippery due to fallen leaves, or perhaps they want to attract more hikers and tourists (or make it available to local elderly people). It's best to ask locals on the way when and where it's open. The location shown on this map is practically a ruined site now. I plan to come back in about six months.

I recently saw a few videos on YouTube of people using it, so I got intrigued and decided to give it a try. It's a good idea to bring your own firewood. Some people have made videos saying that firewood is available locally, but it's not always replenished regularly. There wasn't any this time. I thought about 3kg of hardwood would be enough to get the fire going. It had just rained, so the area around the fire pit was soaking wet and I struggled to get it lit, but I managed to take a bath. A proper fire-starting kit and a blowtorch are essential. 😅 It was incredibly satisfying to have the magnificent view all to myself. The photo shows the view from the boiler.

Visited on August 12, 2024. Information about this open-air hot spring had been missing for a while, but it seems that locals have renovated it and it's now open for bathing! The Goemon bath lid and chimney are missing, but it's well-maintained. Firewood is available for 400 yen per bundle at the farm shop about 1.2 km before. There are plenty of dead leaves, twigs, and cedar leaves everywhere, so you'll have plenty of fire starters. It was a wonderful cold spring with a pleasant sulfurous scent.

It's fun to boil water in the great outdoors. The town also provides a hot water storage tank. The firewood from the unmanned vending machine is well dried and burns well. There's also a changing room in the back, so it's hard to believe it's free. The service is so good that I ended up putting extra money into the unmanned vending machine for the bath fee. The view of the cliffs of Mt. Hiei in Miyazaki on the way there was also spectacular.