Nango Onsen Yamagiri

Nango Onsen Yamagiri lies deep in the Kyushu Mountains at Mikado in Nango, Misato Town, northern Miyazaki Prefecture. On 10 February 1996, during the annual Shiwasu Matsuri festival that keeps alive the legend of exiled Baekje royalty, hot water burst from a depth of 1,500 metres on the hillside behind Mikado Shrine, whose main hall is a nationally designated Important Cultural Property. Thick mountain mist blanketed the valley that day, giving the spring its name Yamagiri, meaning mountain mist, and locals still speak of it as a gift from the Baekje king. Note that this is an inland mountain spa, unrelated to the coastal Nango district of Nichinan City.

The water is a sodium bicarbonate spring, classified as hypotonic and alkaline, with a pH of 8.7, a source temperature of 37.1 degrees Celsius and a yield of 124.2 litres per minute. It feels distinctly silky on the skin and is widely praised as one of Japan's finest bijin-no-yu, or beauty waters. Posted indications include neuralgia, muscle and joint pain, poor circulation, chronic skin conditions and general recovery from fatigue. Lotions and moisturising gels made from the source water are sold in the shop.

The bathhouse operates as the day-use spa Nango Onsen Dontaro no Yu. It has separate men's and women's indoor baths with a dry sauna and cold plunge, separate open-air baths looking out over the Kyushu Mountains, and a private bath available to one group per day. Admission is 520 yen for adults, 320 yen for junior high school students and 210 yen for children aged four through elementary school. Hours are 10:00 to 20:00, with last entry at 19:30, and the spa closes every Thursday, or the following day when Thursday is a public holiday. On site are the Yamagiri Chaya restaurant known for its stone-grilled bibimbap, a free tatami lounge, paid private rest rooms, a souvenir shop and 53 free parking spaces. Overnight guests stay at the affiliated Cottage Yamagiri about four kilometres away.