Yunokawa Onsen Jojoen

Jojoen is a municipally operated day-trip hot spring in Yunokawa Onsen, a spring tucked into the mountains of Kawauchi in Mutsu City on the Shimokita Peninsula of Aomori Prefecture. Yunokawa Onsen is said to have been discovered in 1674 (Enpo 2) by Daieitotsu, the founding priest of Senryuji temple, giving it roughly 350 years of history, and it is known as a secluded hot spring of Shimokita. Jojoen was built as a hot spring rest house in 1979 (Showa 54) and substantially rebuilt in 1994 (Heisei 6).

The water is an alkaline simple spring (hypotonic, alkaline, high-temperature), with a source temperature of 54 to 57C. The colorless, transparent and slightly mild water is served free-flowing (kakenagashi). It is soft on the skin and leaves a smooth after-feel, and is said to be effective for neuralgia, skin ailments, chronic digestive complaints, muscle pain and poor circulation.

The facility features an indoor bath built lavishly with Aomori hiba cypress, a local specialty of Kawauchi, and a stone-built open-air bath overlooking a mountain stream. It opens 9:00 to 19:00, closed on Tuesdays, with day-trip bathing at 350 yen per adult. Note that due to aging it has been closed since July 2020 (Reiwa 2) and is being rebuilt (completion planned for 2026), so visitors should confirm its operating status before going.