Fukuji Onsen Yamazato no Iori Soene

Soene is a ryokan in Fukuji Onsen, part of the Okuhida Onsen villages in the mountains of Takayama City, Gifu Prefecture, at an elevation of about 1,000 meters. Fukuji Onsen is nicknamed the 'Emperor's Spring' because Emperor Murakami is said to have secretly come here for treatment in the Heian period, and legends of Heike clan refugees also linger in this quiet mountain hamlet. The inn's main building is a former farmhouse of the Futamura family built in 1836 in the Hida region, dismantled and relocated here in 2004; this 180-plus-year-old Hida folk house is registered as a National Tangible Cultural Property.

The baths draw on three sources with a combined flow of about 290 liters per minute: the inn's own springs 'Fuku no Yu' and 'Arita no Yu', pumped from 300 meters underground, plus a spring shared by the Fukuji Onsen community. The water is mainly a simple hot spring (hypotonic, neutral, high-temperature, pH 7.0), complemented by sodium bicarbonate water known for softening the skin. Source temperatures range from 35 to 70 degrees Celsius, and the main bath and private baths are free-flowing directly from the source. The clear, colorless water is famed as an 'attamari-yu' that keeps bathers warm long after bathing.

The inn has 15 guest rooms. The main bathhouse 'Fuku no Yu', a wooden hut roofed with traditional split shingles, includes a footbath sauna, while the guests-only open-air 'Mori no Yu' features the 'Kamayu', a bath made from an iron cauldron once used at the Kamioka mine, and the 'Iwayu' rock bath beside the murmuring Hirayu River. Three private open-air bath cottages with indoor tubs are free for staying guests. Day-trip bathing is available 15:00-21:00 for 1,100 yen (adults) and 500 yen (children); advance confirmation recommended.