Satofumoto Onsen Shimanto Genryu Iyashi-no-Sato Goroku Onsen

Located at 8310 Kitagawa, Tsuno Town, Takaoka District, Kochi Prefecture, this small six-room inn sits at the foot of the Shikoku Karst plateau in the headwaters of the Shimanto River. The spring was discovered in 1970 and remains the only hot spring in Tsuno Town. The name Goroku derives from the elevation of 356 meters where the source was found, and the inn is nestled in profound silence among the deep mountains and pristine streams of the inner Shimanto region. The water is an alkaline simple sulfur spring, exceptionally rare on Shikoku Island, drawn directly from the source at 100 percent and offered without dilution. It has a smooth, silky texture and carries a faint sulfur fragrance. The bathtubs are fragrant with cypress wood, and through the windows guests can gaze at the clear flow of the Kitagawa River, a tributary of the Shimanto. The inn provides two private rental baths — Hinoki-no-Yu in the main building and Hanare-no-Yu along the riverbank — with all bathing reservations exclusive and time-limited. Only six guest rooms are available, including a special suite with a private indoor bath, standard rooms, and a detached cottage. Multi-course kaiseki cuisine showcases seasonal ingredients from the mountains, sea, and rivers of the Shimanto headwaters. Highly regarded by hot spring connoisseurs, it has been called a perfect hidden gem of Kochi.