Tashiro Motoyu

Tashiro Motoyu—the Original Source Spring of Tashiro—carries the motoyu designation given in Japan to springs that represent the historical founding waters of a thermal resort, the first source from which a bathing tradition grew before additional springs were developed in the surrounding area over generations. The sulfated and simple waters offer a mineral combination that marries the smooth character of sulfate with the gentle accessibility of simple alkaline water, well suited to the long, unhurried soaks central to Japan's toji bathing tradition. Bathing at a motoyu carries a sense of connection to origins—the first bathers who discovered this spring, the first inn that rose beside it, and the centuries of bathing tradition built from that initial discovery.