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 the village of Ten'ei, at the foot of Mount Nifuki, lies "Iwase Yumoto Onsen," a historic hot spring that is said to have been discovered over 1200 years ago during the Heian period by Kobo Daishi (Kukai). Once a resting place for samurai during the Sankin-kotai (alternate attendance) system, this place is also said to have been visited by Minamoto no Yoshitsune and his group on their way to Hiraizumi. It remains a hidden village where 'living history' breathes.

■ 'Thatched-roof houses' that convey the scenery of Edo to the present

Walking along the narrow slopes of the village, you will be greeted by splendid thatched-roof inns and houses.

• Living post town: The atmosphere of the Edo period, when it thrived as a hidden hot spring and post town of the Aizu domain, is blended into the heavy beams and the smoke of the irori (sunken hearth).
• Tradition of 'Yui': The golden roofs that have withstood hundreds of years of wind and snow symbolize the wisdom and bonds of the local people who have helped and supported each other. Their appearance vividly depicts the 'original scenery of Japan' in the hearts of those who see it.

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

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

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

At night, stepping outside from a 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 might have gazed upon. Why not visit this deep mountain sanctuary wrapped in the 'ultimate tranquility' woven over 1200 years?