Visitors enjoy bathing in the Sennin-buro riverside hot spring bath in Tanabe, Wakayama Prefecture, on Dec. 5, 2021. (Mainichi/Yukihiro Takeuchi)

       TANABE, Wakayama -- An outdoor, riverside hot spring bath, a winter specialty in the Kawayu Onsen spa area in this west Japan city, opened to the public on Dec. 5.

       Known as "Sennin-buro" (mountain hermit bath), the open-air hot spring bath has been an annual treat for locals and visitors since 1985. It is prepared and organized by the Kumano Hongu Tourist Association and the planning committee. The groups dig up gravel along the Oto River from which water at a temperature of 73 degrees Celsius springs out. They adjust the temperature to around 40 C using river water. Some 55,000 people visited the natural hot tub last season.

       The organizers originally had planned to open the outdoor bath on Dec. 1, but a makeshift bridge to cross to the riverside had to be closed off after heavy rains gutted its edges out. The bath will be open free of charge until the end of February 2022.

       The "tub" is about 28 meters by 12 meters, and approximately 60 centimeters deep. It was much bigger during the last season as a coronavirus countermeasure, but this season it's back to its usual size.

       On the opening day, people enjoyed the first hot spring of the season following a ceremony. A woman from the city of Wakayama who visited the riverside bath for the first time with her family told the Mainichi Shimbun, "It's big and the temperature is just right. It feels great to be surrounded by nature. It was very refreshing."

       Sennin-buro planning committee head Shinichi Shiba said, "At night, you can enjoy the beautiful stars. I hope people come to this wild bath day or night to soothe their COVID fatigue."

       The bath is open from 6:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Lanterns will be lit around the tub between 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. on Saturdays to add to the atmosphere. The changing rooms will be closed, as they were last season, to prevent crowding, and a signature "karuta" playing cards event will also be canceled this season. Contact the tourism association at 0735-42-0735 (in Japanese) for more information or visit its website at https://www.hongu.jp/en/

       (Japanese original by Yukihiro Takeuchi, Tanabe Local Bureau)

       Font Size S M L Print Timeline 0