Ayabe Onsen Kyoto

Ayabe, in the mountains of northern Kyoto Prefecture along the upper Yura River, is known as the spiritual birthplace of Omoto, one of Japan's major new religious movements founded here in 1892, and as the hometown of Aikido founder Morihei Ueshiba, who developed much of the martial art's philosophy while living in this forested mountain valley. Ayabe Onsen Kyoto draws on sodium and bicarbonate thermal waters from the geothermal resources of the Tamba highlands, offering restorative baths in a serene setting infused with the spiritual and martial arts heritage of this remarkable northern Kyoto city. The surrounding Ayabe silk weaving tradition, organic farming community, and U-turn migration movement of city dwellers returning to rural life add a progressive contemporary dimension to this culturally distinctive Kyoto thermal destination.