Kameoka Onsen

Kameoka Onsen is a thermal spa in the city of Kameoka, the starting point of the legendary Hozu River gorge where traditional wooden flat-bottomed boats have carried passengers through 16 kilometers of dramatic rapids and forested canyon scenery since the Edo period in one of Kyoto Prefecture's most thrilling natural experiences. The mineral thermal waters provide post-adventure restoration for rafting participants and a soothing gateway experience for visitors approaching Arashiyama and central Kyoto through the Tanba highlands, drawing sodium-bearing mineral water from the geological formations beneath the Kameoka Basin. The Hozu gorge's roaring rapids, the autumn maple reflections in the river, and the ancient Oeyama mountain ranges surrounding Kameoka give this onsen a dramatic natural and historical setting at the western approach to Japan's ancient capital.