Kiri no Yu -Hot spring-
Iwami Onsen hot spring – Kiri no Yu –
Shimane prefecture Ochi county Onan town Yakami 8532 – 2
0855 – 95 – 3505 (Japanese only)
Open: 10 am ~ 9 pm
5 minutes walk from the Craft House will take you to an excellent hot spring. This onsen is on a high hill, so visitors can enjoy beautiful, scenic views.
This hot spring is a little bit different from others. You buy your ticket on the first floor and then go upstairs to take a bath. (Of course people can take an elevator to the second floor.) A member of staff who sits by the vending machine will tell you which herb you can enjoy in your bath water. Moreover, many souvenirs from the Onan area are sold here.
There are two indoor baths and three outdoor baths. All three of the outdoor ones are medicated baths. Natural medicinal plants float in a bag in the bath water. You can pick leaves out of the water and rub them into your skin.
I enjoyed a bath with apple mint, arrowroot (Kuzu) and spicebush (Kuromoji) during my visit. They smelled good, so I became really relaxed. I’m sure you will get rid of stress by trying this onsen.
The bath herbs are changed every month, so you can enjoy a different, relaxing experience each month you visit.
Some people love to sit and relax in a really hot room. I recommend that these people try the sauna. The sign board says that the stones in this sauna are from Yunotsu town, along the sea of Japan coast.
After enjoying the onsen, many people lay down on tatami mats and rest in the lounge . Vending machines for soft drinks and ice cream are available. Customers can go back and forth between the baths and the lounge.
by Takuya.I
