Echizen Nanbu Onsen Ryokan Hamayu

Ryokan Hamayu stands on the Echizen Coast at Mohara in Echizen Town, Fukui Prefecture, facing Route 305 with Kuriya Beach and the Sea of Japan directly in front. The hot springs along this coast are known collectively as Echizen Onsen and divide into three sources - Tamagawa, Kuriya and Nanbu; this inn draws on the Nanbu source, Echizen Nanbu Onsen. The property combines the original Hamayu building with the newer Shosekian wing for a total of 19 rooms, and is known for Echizen crab landed at the nearby port and for baths open around the clock.

The water is a sodium bicarbonate-sulfate spring. It emerges at 36.4C with a pH of 8.4, faintly yellow in tint, odorless, with a slight taste of iron and salt. The alkaline chemistry gives it a smooth, slippery feel that has earned it a reputation as a beauty bath. Because the source is only around body temperature the water is heated, and the inn runs both free-flowing and filtered-circulation tubs. The water is not approved for drinking.

Bathing facilities comprise separate large indoor baths for men and women plus a private reservable bath supplied with free-flowing spring water. Nine guest rooms and two suites in the Shosekian wing have semi-open-air tubs, while the eight rooms in the main building have no private bath or toilet. The large bath is available 24 hours, and both dinner and breakfast are served in guests' rooms. No day-use bathing has been confirmed, so the baths are for overnight guests only. Rates start at 13,200 yen per person with two meals, and parking for 50 cars is free.