Kochi Shimanto Onsen

Kochi Shimanto Onsen in Shimanto city, Kochi Prefecture, sits beside the Shimanto River, celebrated as Japan's last clear river, a designation earned by the absence of large dams on its main channel and the exceptional water clarity maintained by the forested mountain catchment of the remote Shikoku highlands through which it flows for 196 kilometres to the Pacific Ocean. The siliceous spring water provides smooth, skin-softening baths that complement the river's own pristine ecology, in a city whose connection to unpolluted natural environments is central to its tourism identity and its residents' sense of place. Bathing in Shimanto's mineral waters after canoeing, fishing, or cycling along the river's scenic banks represents a deeply satisfying combination of physical activity and thermal restoration in one of Shikoku's most beautiful and environmentally conscious communities.