O Ito Jigoku
- Location
- Yatsushiro, Kumamoto, Japan
- Water type
- sodium chloride
- Temperature
- 41 °C
- pH
- 7.3
Water profile
Relaxing — deep, immediate muscle release.
Loaded with major ions — the essential minerals (Ca, Mg).
Dense, salty water — you float without effort.
On the southern coastal plain of Kumamoto on Kyushu island, Yatsushiro possesses that atmosphere particular to Japanese towns nourished by both sea and mountain. The sodium-chloride springs that rise in this area at 41 °C belong to the long onsen tradition of Kyushu, a volcanic island whose geothermal depths feed countless springs.
The saline bathing water, with its faint pearlescent quality, wraps the skin in a deep and lasting warmth — the hallmark of chloride-rich waters that retain heat long after leaving the bath. This quality makes it especially pleasurable in Kyushu's humid climate, where evenings can turn cool. The evening bathing ritual — o-furo — is here an intimate daily ceremony of restoration.
Yatsushiro lies close to the Kuma River valley, one of Japan's three great torrential rivers, cutting through spectacular gorges. The combination of a kayaking or rafting excursion on the Kuma followed by an evening onsen is one of the most satisfying nature-bathing pairings the region has to offer its visitors.