Ōboke Onsen

Ōboke Onsen is a hot spring resort in the dramatic Oboke Gorge area of Miyoshi City, Tokushima Prefecture on Shikoku Island, whose simple mineral waters provide gentle therapeutic bathing in one of Japan's most spectacular river gorge landscapes where the Yoshino River has carved deep marble and schist cliffs into the Shikoku mountains over millions of years. The Oboke-Koboke Gorge, whose names derive from the ancient Japanese words for great dangerous step and little dangerous step describing the hazardous historical crossing of these deep riverine passages, is now a famous tourist destination for white-water river cruises, rafting, and the brilliant autumn foliage that blazes through the deep gorge each October and November. The onsen's riverside setting within this extraordinary geological formation allows bathers to enjoy the restorative simple mineral waters while contemplating the ancient stone walls of one of Japan's most dramatic natural gorge systems, combining thermal wellness with the visual grandeur of Shikoku's mountain interior.