Kawaura Onsen Yamagatakan

Kawaura Onsen Yamagatakan is a historic hot spring inn located along the upper reaches of the Fuefuki River gorge in Mitomi-Kawaura, Yamanashi City, Yamanashi Prefecture. In 1561, the renowned warlord Takeda Shingen ordered Yamagata Masakage, one of the Four Guardians of the Takeda clan, to develop this hot spring, making it the only documented example of a spring developed by Shingen. The inn has been passed down through fifteen generations of the same family since its founding. It features two spring sources: Yamagatakan No. 1 (41.2 degrees Celsius) and Yamagatakan No. 2 (43.2 degrees Celsius), both delivered as 100% free-flowing natural spring water without heating, dilution, or recirculation. The flow rate is an impressive 1,144 to 1,250 liters per minute, ranking among the highest in Japan. The water is a highly alkaline simple hot spring with a pH of 9.6, renowned as a beauty skin spring. The inn offers multiple bathing facilities including the Shingen Rock Bath (mixed bathing with women-only hours), Fuefuki Senryu Miyabi-no-Yu, Yakushi-no-Yu, and Seseragi-no-Yu, with open-air baths crafted from massive Japanese cypress logs overlooking the mountain stream and its seasonal scenery. The main baths are available 24 hours.