This well-known hot spring is thought to be one of the oldest hot springs in Japan. The list of most ancient springs also includes Dogo Onsen (Ehime Prefecture) and Arima Onsen (Hyogo Prefecture).
It is said that Iwaki Yumoto Onsen as first used for its hot spring water around one thousand years ago. Water is pumped into the numerous hotels and ryokan in the town at a rate of five tons per minute. The springs have various benefits such as having skin-beautifying properties.
| Website | http://www.iwakiyumoto.or.jp/en/ |
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| Contact | Iwaki Yumoto Onsen Tourist Association (+81) 246-42-4322 iwakiyumotoonsen@gmail.com |
| Best Season | All Year |
| Opening Hours | Iwaki Yumoto Onsen Tourist Association hours are from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM |
| Access | Tennozaki 92 Joban Yumoto-machi, Iwaki City, Fukushima Pref. 972-8321 View directions |
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| Getting there | By Car: 10 min drive from Iwaki Yumoto I.C. exit off the Joban Expressway By Train: Short walk from Yumoto Station (JR Joban Line) |
Natsuigawa Valley continues 15 km along JR Ban-etsu East Line. In autumn, the train passes the valley at a slow speed so that passengers can enjoy the awesome views from its windows. The beautiful view of the waterfalls and clear streams meandering through rocks is definitely worth seeing.
A massive field of nanohana flowers that first bloomed in Spring 2012, bringing great joy to the community. Since 2013 to today, huge flower fields and mazes are organized for the public to come and enjoy entirely for free. Children can receive prizes for completing the maze and visitors of all ages are encouraged to walk through the maze and have fun. Takayuki Ueno is a local farmer and creator of the Nanohana Flower Maze, planting the first flowers here in November 2011; eight months after the Great East Japan Earthquake. Click here to read more about his inspiring story.
Tenzan Bunko is a quaint old-fashioned house stood in beautiful Kawauchi Village, which has been opened up as a museum. This house was presented by the village to the famous Japanese poet Kusano Shinpei. Kusano found inspiration to create many of his works at Tenzan Bunko, and this house now serves as the venue for the annual Tenzan Poetry Festival, which gives local people and poets a place to meet and network.
Namie Town was once a bustling seaside town that was famous for their unique style of pottery and the large number of artisans in town. Along the coast the Suzuki Brewery created delicious local sake.After the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami of 2011 and the following accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, the residents of Namie Town were forced to evacuate their town. Nearly all of the buildings close to the coastline were destroyed by the enormous tsunami wave, many lives were lost. When it became clear that evacuees would not be able to return to their homes, people were deeply saddened at the devastating loss of many of the neighbors, their homes and their hometown culture. As residents settled in other areas of Fukushima and continued their lives, many believed that the rich culture of the town that had been created for generation would be lost.However, people of Namie Town chose to fight to preserve the rich culture and traditions of their hometown. So, the Namie Roadside Station was created to do just that. Here visitors can learn about the unique style of pottery that originated in Namie Town, shop the collections of several Namie Town artisans, and even try a pottery class!The Namie Roadside Station is also the new home of the Suzuki Brewery that was formerly located at the Namie Town seaside before it was destroyed by the tsunami wave. The head brewer was able to evacuate, and has been continued the same brewing methods that were developed in Namie TownBy visiting the Namie Roadside Station you can support the preservation of the culture of this unique seaside town! You can also shop the wares of many locals who were affected by the disaster but nevertheless work hard to preserve their hometown culture.
