Latest news with #hot springs
Condé Nast Traveler
4 days ago
- Health
- Condé Nast Traveler
Soaking in a Slower Pace of Life at Gero Onsen
This is part of Uncovering Japan, a collection of stories that spotlight the lesser known gems that belong on your Japan itinerary, offering everything from a wellspring of local craft and a vibrant street-food culture to traditional wellness. Read more here. From the perennially roiling waves of Kanagawa's seas to Mount Fuji's snow-capped seat in the sky, some of Japan's most iconic natural sights claim their status through their striking appearances. But peer past those wonders, since immortalized odes and ukiyo-e woodblock prints, to find Gero, a quiet onsen town in Gifu prefecture with the placid, pastoral charm of a Studio Ghibli movie. Though the town may not seem like much upon first look, it's part of a celebrated trinity of hot springs dating back to the 17th-century Edo period, when prominent poet Hayashi Razan first dubbed Kusatsu, Arima, and Gero's hot springs the best in the country. Ever since, generations of locals have sought to experience the legendary waters for themselves. Tokyo-based chef, sommelier, and writer Yukari Sakamoto has been making the four-and-a-half hour journey to Gero every year since the '80s. Below, she shares why she comes back time after time to soak in the waters, plus her favorite things to do in Gero, and how she makes the most of her time at the onsen town. Gero Onsen's mountain-nestled main town lights up at night. The town's 13 locally maintained public baths source their water from volcanic origin, particularly from Mount Kusatsu-Shirane. Gifu Prefecture Tourism Federation Gero, the Goldilocks onsen Kusatu, Arima, and Gero all possess distinctive charms that make for three unique onsen experiences. Kusatsu sits in a remote region of Gunma prefecture, a little over 100 miles north of Tokyo. 'It's like, once you're there, you're there, you're in the middle of the wilderness,' says Sakamoto. The town's 13 locally maintained public baths source their water from volcanic origin, particularly from Mount Kusatsu-Shirane. As a result, the springs range from cloudy to clear depending on their acidity and mineral composition, properties which were championed by 19th-century physician to the imperial family Erwin Bälz for their seeming health benefits, ushering in a new wave of popularity for the onsen during the 1800s. Located about an hour's drive to the southeast of Kusatsu, Arima has a far less demanding transit. The onsen is known for its famous duo of golden (kinsen—named after the sienna hue of the iron-rich water) and silver (ginsen—which is actually colorless) waters and being one of the oldest known onsens in the country with a history tracing back at least 1,300 years. 'The onsen is nice, but it's in quite an urban area, so the surroundings aren't quite as bucolic,' says Sakamoto. For an onsen that is conveniently located and immersed in natural scenery, Sakamoto finds that Gero strikes the just-right balance. 'What I love about Gero is that you're in the Japanese Alps,' she says. 'You're located inside a valley with mountains on both sides and a river running between them.' From Tokyo, Gero is just two trains away, with the passage after Nagoya being Sakamoto's particular favorite as rolling hills gradually transition into the mountainside and the river runs parallel. Gero Onsen's public foot bath, right next to the city's main bridge, sees locals stopping daily to soak their feet in the healing waters. Gero's waters leave an inimitable impression. 'We say in Japanese, tsuru tsuru,' Sakamoto says, 'You sit in the water, and after two or three minutes, you start rubbing your skin, and you feel silky. Even after you've gotten out of the onsen and you're dried up, you still feel that silkiness.' The characteristic custard-smooth feeling the water leaves visitors with is owed to its high alkalinity. Sitting around 9.2 on the pH scale, the water takes on a gently exfoliative, soap-like property. Gero's waters leave an inimitable impression. 'We say in Japanese, tsuru tsuru. You sit in the water, and after two or three minutes, you start rubbing your skin, and you feel silky. Even after you've gotten out of the onsen and you're dried up, you still feel [it].' Tokyo-based chef, sommelier, and writer Yukari Sakamoto The joys of taking things slow in Gero The onsen is a nearly year-round destination, though Sakamoto cautions against visiting in the summertime as it gets a bit too hot to fully immerse in a warm onsen experience. 'Once you get to the city, there are many baths where you can take your shoes off, soak your feet,' Sakamoto says, "and there are always the onsens, the hot springs at the ryokan or the hotel that you're staying at, but there's also a public foot bath that's on the river.' Sitting right next to the city's main bridge, she says its part of the area's everyday life to see somebody stop to soak their feet in the waters.
Globe and Mail
27-05-2025
- General
- Globe and Mail
B.C. orders Hobo Hot Spring restored, as new fence blocks off public use
The British Columbia government has ordered the restoration of free natural hot spring pools that were mysteriously filled with dirt and boulders last fall. But even as the government says it's working with the nearby Harrison Hot Springs Resort to repair the stream, the community's mayor says a new fence has been erected around the natural spring, making it unavailable for public use. The government launched an investigation into the damage to the free natural spring and Crown resource, known as the Hobo Hot Spring, last October. The Ministry of Forests says it can't release a copy of the order to restore the springs, because it's related to an active investigation. However, the Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship says it's working to fix the stream with the owner and general manager of the nearby Harrison Hot Springs Resort, which did not respond to a request for comment. Harrison Hot Springs Mayor Fred Talen says the resort is complying with the order to remove rocks and boulders placed in the public pools, but he's 'really disappointed' a new fence was put up around the stream on the weekend. Talen blamed the resort for the fence. 'I think it's a mistake, it's a misstep, it's inappropriate at best. At its worst, it could be viewed as disrespectful,' said Talen. Photographs provided by Talen show a large brick-and-metal structure has also been built across the stream, along with a sign deterring the public from accessing the water. 'Do not enter water. Hot mineral water temperatures vary and will cause injury,' the sign says. But before the pools were filled in last fall, the spring had been used for free by First Nations people and other locals for many years. The Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship said last year that filling or making changes to the spring would require approval, and none was given. The Ministry of Forests said in a statement last week that a Water Sustainability Act order has been issued to restore the site to its previous state, and the next steps of the investigation would be determined after order compliance was verified. Talen said the village would continue to have conversations with the resort to remove the fencing and enhance the hot springs experience in a way that benefitted the resort, the Sts'ailes First Nation and the village, which is 130 kilometres east of Vancouver. 'The unilateral action by the resort makes me question whether the resort's monopoly over the public's use of the hot springs should continue,' said Talen. 'These hot springs, really, in my view, are a public resource and shouldn't be under the exclusive control of a single business,' he added. The resort is owned by Aldesta Hotels & Resorts. The government did not respond to questions about the fence and structure at the stream.
