Kindaichi Onsen
金田一温泉
A hot-spring destination where the bath itself is the sightseeing.
What this place is
Kindaichi Onsen (金田一温泉) or Kintaichi Onsen is an onsen in the city of Ninohe, Iwate Prefecture, in the Tōhoku region of northern Japan. The onsen consists of seven establishments on the banks of the Mabechi River, and was developed from 1626 in the early Edo period for samurai in the service of the Nanbu clan of Morioka Domain. The alkaline spa was named a National Public Health Spa by the Ministry of the Environment in April 1994, and claims to be effective for neuralgia, back pain, hypertension, and rheumatism. The Ryokufūsō establishment in Kindaichi was famed throughout Japan for being the home of a zashiki-warashi, but it burned to the ground in a fire on October 4, 2009.
Background text from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)
Why it is worth the trip
- Mineral-rich water that locals have soaked in for generations — each source has its own temperature, colour and smell.
- A bathing town you can wander in a yukata, with steam drifting between wooden inns and public baths.
- Open-air rotenburo tubs framed by mountains, river valleys or the sea, which change completely with the season.
What you can do here
- Take a day-use bath (higaeri onsen) even without staying overnight — most inns open their baths in the afternoon.
- Try the free foot baths (ashiyu) dotted around town for a quick warm-up between stops.
- Buy a bath-hopping pass and compare two or three different sources in one afternoon.
- Eat the local onsen specialities — steam-cooked eggs, puddings and vegetables sold near the sources.
Photos
Photos from Wikimedia Commons — click any image for the photographer and licence.
Getting there by public transport
Good to know before you go
- Wash and rinse at the shower stations before entering the tub; the bath water is shared.
- Some traditional baths still restrict tattoos — look for tattoo-friendly inns or private family baths (kashikiri).
- Bring a small towel; larger bath towels are usually rented or sold at the counter.
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