The history of onsen in Uchinomaki dates back to 1897, when hot springs first erupted during the digging of an irrigation well. Inns were built, and it became a well-known hot spring town, visited by such literary figures as Natsume Soseki and Yosano Tekkan and his wife Akiko. Public baths also appeared in each area, and these became an everyday source of bathing for the local people.

Years later in today's Reiwa era, the number of public baths has decreased, but they are still loved by locals. Along with the comfort of the hot springs, you can enjoy interacting with the locals and admiring the retro atmosphere of the bathhouses. Enjoy them as if you were being given a share of the hot springs.

・Unkai Yakushi Onsen

・Takarayu

・Oaso Onsen

Public baths (machiyu) are, as the name suggests, public bathhouses used by local townsfolk, and each are used by many people from its respecrive area. Most of these simply contain a bathtub and do not provide soap or shampoo. It is standard at public baths that you bring your own amenities.

"Recently, we've been seeing customers from far away who hadn't been able to make the trip here due to the Kumamoto earthquake disaster and the COVID-19 pandemic come back to visit us once again," says Hama Kiyoshi, the owner of Unkai Yakushi Onsen, who grew up in Uchinomaki alongside the town bath. "My aunt opened the hot spring inn in 1951, and then rebuilt it into a day-trip hot spring facility in 1993. I took over and ran it after she passed away." He's very familiar with the regulars who come to visit, and they even often enjoy bathing together. Glowing skin is the very benefit of the hot spring.

"I enjoy talking to customers. Everyone tells me they want me to continue, so I have to keep going!" With this sentiment in mind, he runs the  bathhouse every day with the help of his sons.

Unkai Yakushi Onsen offers a rare combination of two beauty-enhancing spring qualities: "sodium-calcium-magnesium sulfate" and "bicarbonate spring water." When the baths, which are cleaned overnight, are filled in the morning, the water is richly opaque, gradually becoming clearer as fresh spring water fills the tub.

When we visited for an interview in December, the morning sun was pouring into the men's bath, which had just opened, giving the hot spring a golden glow.

The water flows directly from the source, and no water is added or heated, so the temperature of the bath is controlled by the amount of water. Those who like warmer bathwater will love the heat that envelops your body when you soak. The color and temperature of each bath are gifts from nature, so enjoying different baths from moment to moment is part of the fun of hot spring hopping.

After your bath, head to your next destination and pay your respects at Shinmachi Yakushido, which is said to be the god of Uchinomaki Onsen and is also the origin of the name "Unkai Yakushi Onsen."

                                     Spot information (as of December 22, 2023)

Although the sight of the characters "kappo" (Japanese fine dining) on the sign may make you reconsider whether you came to the right place, this fine local bathhouse which features a refined, elegant setting, is in fact Takarayu, operated by Onsen Kappo Ganemasa.

This place used to operate as the local bathhouse until, in 1982, a restaurant relocated onto the premises and inherited the baths as part of the property. Even then, it was a simple bathhouse like any other, but it was renovated about 30 years ago. It has been reborn as a high-class bathhouse with magnificent stone baths.

However, during the Kumamoto Earthquake, the hot spring stopped flowing, and when they re-drilled, the source temperature dropped to 40.7°C. To ensure guest enjoyment of fresh, untreated water without adding water or heating it, they adjusted by increasing the amount of water flowing into the bath. The water pours generously from the spout, creating a luxurious free-flowing experience.

"We recommend this to people who like slightly warmer water. If you take your time soaking, you'll feel warm to the core of your body," says the owner. Another nice touch at Takarayu is that in addition to the 400 yen bathing fee (200 yen for children aged 3 to elementary school), towels, body soap, and rinse-in-shampoo are also available for free rental.

The hot spring quality is classified as a "sodium-magnesium-calcium sulfate spring," known as a "beauty bath" said to promote firm and hydrated skin. It's recommended to soak for an extended time to slowly absorb the skin-beautifying properties.

Finally, "This sign that everyone often sees is actually the back entrance (laughs). The front door is on the opposite side. A nice road was built on what used to be a vacant lot, so we hurriedly put up the sign." People say that the entrance is hard to find, and there is a reason for that. There are parking lots at both entrances, so if you don't want to walk too far from your car, head to the real entrance. A nice approach awaits you.

   　　　　　　　　　　　　　Spot information (as of December 22, 2023)

Oaso Onsen is open from 7am, so there are many regulars who take a bath before going to work. "My father passed away in January this year, and there are no documents left, so I don't know the exact details, but it seems that while it has been operating as a town bath since the Meiji era, it also operated as a hot spring inn around 1943, when my father was born," says Mieko, the fourth-generation owner. As times have changed, it has evolved into an inn that accepts hot springs guests and training camps, and has a long history as a town bath for local people.

The current building was built in the 1970s, giving it a retro feel, and it seems to have attracted an increasing number of customers from outside the prefecture. The changing room still has the box for the bathing fee, and the bathroom has faded brown from the hot spring minerals, giving it a nostalgic feel.

The water here is a sodium-magnesium-calcium sulfate spring, a type of spring common to Uchinomaki Onsen, but it is the most concentrated of the local baths introduced here, and contains so much iron that it sticks to the surface of the water outlet. Of course, the water is free-flowing from the source, with no water or heating added.

"Because the ingredients are so strong, we clean the facility every day and the pipes once a week," says Mieko's uncle Tamihito. "The third-generation owner was a very warm-hearted person, and it felt like all the customers were friends. They all came to enjoy the baths,  called him Ken-chan Ken-chan. We don't want to cause any trouble to our customers so we feel obligated to continue running the bathhouse... I think it's our mission."

The public bath, which has been handed over to the fourth generation, is known as a "warming bath" that warms the body and keeps you warm for a long time. The story of the public bath is sure to warm not only the body but also the heart.

　　　　　　　　　　　　Spot information (as of December 22, 2023)