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/ |
|---|---|
| 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 |
|---|---|
| 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) |
Founded over seven hundred years ago, Suzumigaoka Hachiman Shrine came under the aegis of the Soma clan in the sixteenth century, whereupon warlord Soma Masatane rebuilt its halls with zelkova wood. It was known as Soma Nikko at the time for being the northern equivalent of Nikko's Toshugu Shrine.Hachiman shrines are devoted to the warrior deity of the same name, seen historically as a protector of the nation, as well as someone prayed to for protections from illness and success in personal life.The shrine is an excellent trip both in spring, when the road leading to the shrine is sheltered with parallel rows of cherry trees, or in autumn, when the great gingko tree by the shrine building is a vibrant yellow.
Sedette Kashima [せでってかしま] is a service area in Minamisoma City, in the coastal area of Fukushima prefecture.The name of the facility derives from an expression in the local dialect, which could be roughly translated as “Bring me with you!”. At the entrance, the service area has life-size replicas of Soma Nomaoi participants riding horses, and monitors showing photos of the festival. There is a souvenir shop and a dining hall, places for drivers to rest, as well as a play area for children and a dog park.At Sedette Kashima, you’ll find plenty of local crafts, souvenirs and traditional items from Minamisoma.Sedette Kashima can be accessed using non-toll (local) roads.
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.
Kunitama Shrine (國魂神社) is located in Iwaki City, in the coastal area of Fukushima. Three deities are enshrined at Kunitama Shrine: Okuninushi (the god of nation-building, said to be the founder of Japan); Suserihime-no-Mikoto (the wife of Okuninushi) and Shohikono. The shrine is said to have been built in the year 806, and was renovated in 1942. The temple bell was designated as a tangible cultural property of the city of Iwaki in 1982. There is also a preserved cedar tree.Several events are celebrated in the shrine, such as a New Year’s Day Festival, a Rice Planting Festival, and other prayer festivals. During the summer, the shrine is beautifully decorated with colorful wind chimes. Photos: Iwaki Tourism & Community Development Bureau (一社)いわき観光まちづくりビューロー
