Kenichi Onsen Ryokan

Kenichi Onsen Ryokan is a single inn standing beside the Kenichi River in the mountains of the Kumaishi district of Yakumo Town, on the Sea of Japan side of the Oshima Peninsula in southwestern Hokkaido. According to local tradition, a wounded bear was seen healing itself in a pool of hot water on the riverbank during the Keio era, and the inn opened as a hot spring lodge in 1868, the first year of Meiji. It has long served as a place for extended healing stays.

The water is a sodium chloride spring with a source temperature of 51.4 C and a natural flow of about 83 liters per minute. With total dissolved solids of about 5,122 mg/kg, it is rich in minerals. The water is clear at the spout, but its iron content oxidizes on contact with air and turns the bath a reddish to dark brown. The baths use fresh source water in a free-flowing system, and the water is said to help with cuts, burns, neuralgia and sprains.

There is one indoor bath and one open-air bath each for men and women, and the open-air bath looks down on the Kenichi River. Day-trip bathing is available from 12:00 to 21:00 for 500 yen per adult and 300 yen per elementary school child. Overnight stays start at 14,000 yen with two meals, featuring local seafood. Free parking is available for about 20 cars.