Iwase Yumoto Onsen

【A thousand years of hot spring steam, a post town that stopped time】 The lingering echoes of the Heian period and the traces of the Edo period in "Iwase Yumoto Onsen"

Nestled deep in Tenei Village, at the foot of Mt. Nikigiyama, stands "Iwase Yumoto Onsen". It is said to have been discovered over 1200 years ago during the Heian period by Kobo Daishi (Kukai), and boasts one of the richest histories in Fukushima Prefecture. This place, where samurai on their way to Edo would rest and where Minamoto no Yoshitsune's party is said to have stopped on their way to Hiraizumi, remains a hidden village where 'living history' still breathes.

■ A thatched house row that conveys the scenery of Edo to the present

Walking along the narrow slopes of the village, what catches the eye are the splendid thatched-roof inns and houses.

• A living post town: The atmosphere of the Edo period, when it thrived as a hidden hot spring and post town for the Aizu domain, is infused in the heavy beams and the smoke of the irori.
• Tradition of 'Yui': The golden roofs that have withstood centuries of wind and snow symbolize the wisdom and bonds of the local people who have helped and supported each other. Their appearance vividly paints the 'original landscape of Japan' in the hearts of those who see it.

■ Purifying the soul, the refreshing 'beautiful skin hot spring'

In the center of the hot spring town, the public baths and each inn are filled with pure, clear hot spring water.

• The luxury of soaking in history: The transparent water, faintly scented with sulfur, has long been cherished as a 'beautiful skin hot spring', healing travelers' fatigue to the core.

At night, stepping outside from the thatched-roof inn where light spills out, all you can hear is the murmuring of the river and the whispers of the stars that the people of the Heian period must have gazed upon. Why not visit this deep mountain sanctuary wrapped in the 'ultimate silence' woven over 1200 years?