Japanese Tourism / Cold bronze spa offers refreshment during the scorching summer in Oita Pref.

There are many hot springs in the country, but during the hot, humid days you may be looking for something cooler. You can try a cold mineral spring, with temperatures below 25 C.

The best cold springs in Japan, according to spa experts, are located at the foot of the Kuju Mountains in western Oita Prefecture. The spa called Kan no Jigoku (Cold Hell) Spa is one of the spas in the Kokonoe Yume Onsen Village, which has a cluster of hot spring resorts. The Japanese-style inn Kan no Jigoku Ryokan is located 1,100 meters above sea level along the Yamanami Highway that connects the Yufuin and Aso areas.

Since the inn opened in 1928, the Cold Bronze Spa has only been open in the summer. However, in July of last year, the facility added a sauna to help warm up bathers, making the Cold Spring open year-round.

“We can finally meet the demand of customers who want to bathe in the cold spring all year round,” said Masumi Takeishi, owner of the inn. “We offer more bathing options and hope that visitors will get to know the spring.”

Sauna enthusiasts often relax in the cold spring after visiting the sauna, but in summer it is better to relax in the cold spring first.

The cold spring here is a mixed bath, so visitors wear swimwear or sauna clothes.

At the far end of the flat bathhouse, mineral water gushes from the spouts of the drinking fountain. Two tons of cold sulphurous spring water gushes out every minute. The water also wells up from the bottom of the pool, which is paved with stones and pebbles. The temperature is between 13 C and 14 C. It is certainly cold, even a little painful to soak in.

“For the first minute or two, you feel a tingling sensation on your skin because of the minerals in the water. But after three minutes, you don’t feel it anymore,” Takeishi said.

From that point on you can soak for 15 to 20 minutes, depending on your health and patience. When your body heat drops and you start shivering, get out of the bath and rush to the warm room to warm up.

Don’t dry your body, but let the minerals soak into your skin. The cold spring revitalizes you and puts you in a relaxing mode when you come out.

The inn also features hot spring bathhouses and three private baths for guests.

There are 11 Japanese-style rooms and dinner is served around an irori fireplace, with roasted local pork as the main course. Sake, carefully selected by sake-loving Takeishi, is also popular.

The inn is located in Aso-Kuju National Park, which spans Oita and Kumamoto prefectures, and the surrounding area is packed with attractions. It is a 10-minute drive to the Kokonoe “Yume” Otsurihashi Bridge over the Narukogawa Valley. The structure hangs 173 meters above the riverbed and is Japan’s highest pedestrian bridge. There is also the nearby Shindo Falls, which was selected as one of the top 100 waterfalls in Japan.

Hot spring enthusiasts will love visiting the 12 spas at Kokonoe Yume Onsen Village. You can take a carbonated spring bath at Ukenokuchi Onsen and a lukewarm bath in a natural cave at Kabeyu Onsen.

How to get there

Kan no Jigoku Ryokan Inn is a 50-minute bus ride from Bungo-Nakamura Station on the JR Kyudai Main Line and a short walk from the Kan no Jigoku-mae bus stop. It is open from 9am to 5pm, closed on Wednesdays. Room rates start at ¥16,650 per night with two meals (an additional ¥2,000 and up for guests using the cold spring bath/sauna). Bathing alone costs ¥2,500 for two hours.

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Japan Tourism is presented in cooperation with Ryoko Yomiuri Publication, which publishes Ryoko Yomiuri, a monthly travel magazine. If you are interested in the original Japanese version of this story, Click here.