Kochi Sakawa Onsen
- Location
- Sakawa, Kochi (Shikoku), Japan
- Water type
- bicarbonate
- Temperature
- 40 °C
- pH
- 8
Water profile
Relaxing — deep, immediate muscle release.
Loaded with major ions — the essential minerals (Ca, Mg).
Soft water — natural, classic buoyancy.
Kochi Sakawa Onsen is a community thermal facility in Sakawa town in Kochi Prefecture on Shikoku Island, drawing siliceous geothermal waters from the ancient geological basement of the Shikoku Mountains in the deep rural heart of an island known for its fierce independence, abundant rivers, and the legacy of the legendary Meiji-era statesman Sakamoto Ryōma. Kochi Prefecture's rugged mountain interior, carved by some of Japan's most pristine river systems including the Shimanto — Japan's last great undammed river — provides the hydrological and geological conditions for the thermal springs that serve communities throughout the Shikoku highlands. The onsen tradition in Sakawa reflects Shikoku's characteristic blend of pilgrimage culture, natural abundance, and the self-reliant spirit of a province that has shaped Japanese history disproportionately to its size.