Kawafuru Onsen Hamaya Ryokan

Kawafuru Onsen Hamaya Ryokan is a secluded one-inn hot spring standing in a gorge on the upper reaches of the Akaya River in Aimata, Minakami, Gunma Prefecture, within Joshinetsu-kogen National Park. Long celebrated in the saying that a visitor to Kawafuru can throw away their walking stick, it is a renowned therapeutic spring said to relieve nerve pain, joint pain, rheumatism, and whiplash. It belongs to the Association to Protect Japan's Secret Hot Springs and is designated a National Health Resort Hot Spring.

The water is a calcium-sodium sulfate spring (gypsum-mirabilite type), with a source temperature of about 39.8C and a mildly alkaline pH of 7.9. Colorless and clear with a total dissolved content of around 1,330 mg, it is poured directly into each bath as free-flowing spring water. Because it is close to body temperature, its defining feature is the ability to soak slowly for 30 minutes to an hour.

The baths consist of separate indoor baths for men and women and a large mixed-gender open-air bath opening onto the Akaya River, where the source water cascades in like a waterfall amid lush greenery. Although mixed, bathing wear can be bought at the front desk for 650 yen, making it easy for women to enter. Day-trip bathing is available from 10:30 to 14:00 for 1,000 yen per adult, and overnight stays with two meals start from around 12,000 yen.