Kamaishi Onsen

Kamaishi Onsen is situated in Kamaishi, an Iwate coastal city with a remarkable dual legacy as both a historic center of Japanese iron and steel manufacturing — Kamaishi's blast furnaces in the Meiji era were the first Western-style steel production facilities in Japan, making the city a pioneer of Japan's industrialization — and as a community that suffered devastating losses in the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami before demonstrating an extraordinary collective resilience in rebuilding that has made Kamaishi an international symbol of disaster recovery and community strength. The city's 'Kamaishi Miracle' — the successful evacuation of nearly all schoolchildren through rigorous disaster education programs — was one of the most celebrated stories to emerge from the 2011 disaster, and the city hosted Rugby World Cup 2019 matches as part of its revival story. The onsen here provide mineral bathing in a community whose spirit of endurance and renewal has given it a significance far beyond its size.