Yunohira Onsen Ginnoyu

Ginnoyu is a public bath standing at the entrance of the stone-paved main street of Yunohira Onsen, a hot spring village tucked into the mountains along the Hanaai River in Yufuin, Yufu City, Oita Prefecture. Yunohira is said to have been opened in the Kamakura period and took its present form in the late Edo period. It once ranked among Kyushu's busiest bathing resorts after Beppu, and it is now part of the Yufuin hot spring area designated as a national health resort. The name Ginnoyu, meaning Silver Bath, is said to come from the time when the bath stood in the river and the water carried silvery crystalline flakes.

The water is a simple alkaline spring with a source temperature of about 51.8 C and a pH of about 8.8. It is colorless, clear and soft, and flows freely from the source into the tub, where it is kept fairly hot at around 43 to 46 C. Its listed benefits include relief from autonomic nervous disorders, insomnia and low mood.

The bath has separate sections for men and women, each with one large wood-toned tub. The reception desk is unstaffed, so bathers drop the fee into a box. The changing room has coin lockers, shelf lockers and a hair dryer, but no shampoo or body soap, so bring your own. It is open from 10:30 to 20:00 every day. Admission is 300 yen for adults and 100 yen for children.