Hosenji Onsen Tokinosato Yamanoyu

Tokinosato Yamanoyu is a free-flowing hot spring inn in the Hosenji Onsen hot spring village of Kokonoe, Oita Prefecture. According to legend, the priest Kuya visited the area in 938, and after a great earthquake in 972 hot water gushed from the roots of a giant cedar; the place name derives from Hosenji, the temple built to enshrine him. The village lies at the foot of Mount Waita along the Machida River and is one of the main spa areas of the Kokonoe hot spring district.

The water is a simple thermal spring drawn from the inn's own source at 53.3 degrees Celsius. It is colorless, transparent and soft on the skin, rich in metasilicic acid. The inn declares its baths to be 100 percent free-flowing and is certified by the Pure Onsen Association; only in summer is groundwater added to cool the source, with no heating, recirculation, chlorination or additives.

The signature bath is the Cave Bath, where caverns extend behind the pool, alongside an open-air stone bath, a cascading bath and private family baths. Bathing areas rotate between men and women and are open 24 hours. The inn has 20 guest rooms, welcomes pets, and offers stays with two meals from 17,000 yen.