Aizu Kawaguchi Onsen

Aizu Kawaguchi Onsen is a hot spring in Kanayama Town, Onuma County, Fukushima Prefecture, whose sulfurous and simple communal bath Tamanawa-no-Yu was damaged by flooding during the catastrophic Niigata-Fukushima heavy rain disaster of July 2011, which caused widespread destruction across the mountainous border region between Fukushima and Niigata Prefectures, leading to the suspension of operations due to pump failure. The Aizu region of western Fukushima is known for its exceptional concentration of historic hot springs, traditional crafts, and samurai heritage centered on Aizuwakamatsu, and Kanayama Town's riverside onsen represented a modest but valued contribution to this thermal heritage in the remote mountain valleys of the Tadami River basin. The disruption caused by the 2011 floods added the hot spring to the many cultural and natural losses suffered by the communities of this region in a year already marked by the catastrophic March earthquake and tsunami.