Kiyotsukyo Yumoto Onsen Kiyotsukan

Kiyotsukan is a secluded single-inn set along the Kiyotsu Gorge in Tokamachi, Niigata Prefecture, one of Japan's three great gorges within the Joshin'etsu-kogen National Park. A member of the Association to Protect Japan's Secret Hot Springs, the inn traces its origins to a legend tied to the warlord Uesugi Kenshin, in which the source spring known as Yakushi-no-yu was discovered following a revelation from a statue of the Yakushi Buddha. The entrance to the famous Kiyotsukyo Gorge Tunnel lies only about a three-minute walk away.

The water is a sulfur-containing sodium chloride spring (hypotonic, alkaline), with a pH of roughly 9.2. The source emerges at about 48.5 degrees Celsius at a rate of around 55 liters per minute. It is served as a 100 percent free-flowing spring with no chlorination, the riverside private open-air bath being heated only in winter. Prized as a beautifying bath that leaves the skin smooth, it is said to help with neuralgia, joint pain, sensitivity to cold, and fatigue recovery.

The bathing areas comprise two indoor baths and one private open-air bath beside the Kiyotsu River. Stays begin from around 12,000 yen per person with two meals (two guests per room, before tax); check-in is at 14:00 and check-out at 10:00. Free parking for 12 cars is available.