Photo: Yas Nakano · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Ichinoseki Onsen Villages
Ichinoseki Onsen Villages is a hot spring town in Iwate, Japan. It measures pH 7.5 — close to neutral. Officially the water is classed as chloride spring, bicarbonate spring, sulfate spring, iron spring and sulfur spring.
The water here
Chloride spring
Salty water. The salt leaves a thin film on the skin, so you stay warm well after leaving the bath.
Bicarbonate spring
Smooth, slightly slippery water. Often nicknamed bihada-no-yu, the water for beautiful skin.
Sulfate spring
Clear water with a faintly bitter taste. Known for holding heat.
Iron spring
Turns reddish brown as the iron meets air. The water is clear at the source.
Sulfur spring
The classic rotten-egg smell and milky white water. It can tarnish silver jewellery, so take it off.
With tattoos
Many public baths still turn away visible tattoos, and the rule is set by each bath, not by the town. The reliable way round it is to bathe privately: a room with its own open-air bath, or an inn with a private bath you can book for yourselves.
Where to stay
Similar water elsewhere
The numbers
- pH
- 7.5 (close to neutral)
Figures from the town's Japanese Wikipedia article.
Read more
Other towns in Iwate
Planning a first soak? Read how an onsen stay works, and what to do if you have tattoos.