Etchu-Yatsuo Onsen Toyama

Etchu-Yatsuo Onsen, named for the historic Yatsuo district now incorporated into Toyama city, celebrates one of Japan's most beloved autumn festivals, the Owara Kaze no Bon, in which residents of this compact mountain town dance through candlelit streets to the haunting melodies of the koshi-mai and shamisen in a display that embodies the melancholy beauty of Japanese seasonal culture. The sodium-bicarbonate spring water flows warm and smoothing, providing baths that ease the aching feet and tired limbs of festival dancers and visitors who travel from across Japan and the world to witness the three-night celebration. Bathing in these mineral waters after the festival's intimate evening performances creates a deeply memorable combination of cultural and physical restoration.