Gin no Yu

Gin no Yu—Silver Waters—is one of two famous spring types at Arima Onsen in the mountains above Kobe, Hyogo Prefecture, contrasting with the celebrated brown Kin no Yu (Golden Waters) of Arima's iron-salt springs: the silver spring is a clear, crystalline water of siliceous and naturally carbonated character blended with a radium component, its transparency and sparkle earning the silver designation against the golden iron-salt waters' rich amber coloration. Arima Onsen, considered one of Japan's three great historic hot springs along with Kusatsu and Gero, has attracted visitors since the seventh century CE and was famously beloved by the warlord Toyotomi Hideyoshi, who made multiple therapeutic visits to its waters. The city-operated Gin no Yu facility, established in 2001, brings the silver spring's siliceous and carbonated mineral richness to visitors within an accessible municipal bathing facility at one of Japan's most historically distinguished thermal resorts.