Yunose Onsen Yunose Ryokan

Yunose Ryokan is a secluded single inn set in a quiet mountain gorge in the Tozawa Miyatani district of Tsuruoka City, Yamagata Prefecture. The exact date the spring was first used is unknown, and the waters here were once only a low-temperature cold mineral spring. Dissatisfied with that water, the previous owner kept drilling in search of a proper hot spring and in 1991 struck the current high-temperature source, transforming the inn into a full hot spring retreat. A local legend tells of an elderly man crippled by neuralgia who was carried here on another person's back, only to walk down the mountain a few days later on his own two feet.

The source is an alkaline simple spring with a pH of 9.3 and a source temperature of 48 degrees Celsius. Boasting an abundant flow of about 800 liters per minute, it is delivered as 100 percent natural free-flowing gensen kakenagashi, with no heating, no added water, and no circulation whatsoever. The clear, smooth water is said to be effective for neuralgia, muscle pain, joint pain, poor circulation, and chronic digestive ailments.

The inn's signature is a swimming-pool-sized mixed-gender open-air bath measuring roughly 23 meters long, 13 meters wide, and 1.2 meters deep, where guests can enjoy standing baths and walking baths. Bathing garments are lent to women, and there is an inner bath connected to the grand open-air pool as well as separate indoor baths for men and women, all available 24 hours. The inn is also known for cuisine featuring seafood from the Shonai coast, and bathing is currently reserved for overnight guests.