Photo: Abasaa · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons
Shiobara Onsen
Shiobara Onsen is a hot spring town in Tochigi, Japan. It measures pH 2.6–9.2 — acidic. Officially the water is classed as chloride spring, bicarbonate spring, sulfate spring and sulfur spring. Its sources put out around 10,000 litres a minute. 60 inns take visitors here.
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.
Sulfur spring
The classic rotten-egg smell and milky white water. It can tarnish silver jewellery, so take it off.
The numbers
- pH
- 2.6–9.2 (acidic)
- Discharge
- 10,000 litres a minute
- Inns
- 60
- Address in Japanese
- 栃木県那須塩原市塩原、上塩原、湯本塩原
Figures from the town's Japanese Wikipedia article.
Where it is
36.9685, 139.8231 — open the map
Read more
Other towns in Tochigi
Planning a first soak? Read how an onsen stay works, and what to do if you have tattoos.