Hiwa Onsen Akebonoso

Akebonoso is a municipal hot spring bathhouse in the village centre of Hiwa, Shobara City, in the far northeast of Hiroshima Prefecture. It sits in a mountain basin of the Chugoku range below the Hiba mountains, part of Hiba-Dogo-Taishaku Quasi-National Park, surrounded by terraced rice fields and cedar forest. Long known as a local health resort, the building was completely rebuilt in May 2018 as a community health facility using local Shobara timber and roof tiles.

The water is a sodium bicarbonate-chloride spring. Because the source emerges at well under 25C it is classified as a cold mineral spring. The source lies on the property itself; analysis posted before the rebuild recorded 15.4C, pH 6.5 and a yield of 52 litres per minute. The water is pale brown and clear, with no taste or smell and a faintly smooth feel on the skin. As the source is cold it is heated for bathing, and reports describe recirculation with filtration and chlorine-based disinfection, with no added water. It is therefore not a free-flowing spring. Treatment may have changed since the 2018 rebuild, so check the analysis certificate and treatment notice posted on site.

There are two bathrooms, one lined with rock and one built of hinoki cypress, each sized for about seven bathers. They alternate between men and women each week, so seeing both means visiting twice. A wood-panelled lounge with a raised tatami platform is provided for resting after the bath. Admission is inexpensive at 360 yen for junior high school age and above, 150 yen for elementary school children and free for younger children, with multi-visit tickets and monthly passes available. Opening hours are 11:00 to 21:00 with last admission at 20:30, closed Mondays (or the following day when Monday is a public holiday). Parking holds ten cars. The facility is day-use only and does not offer lodging.