Japan’s Coldest Hot Spring | The Onsen That Defies Nature

Japan’s Coldest Hot Spring | The Onsen That Defies Nature

[Music] In Japan’s mountains, there flows a spring unlike any other. They call it a hot spring, but its waters are cold. Ice cold. Its minerals are so strong they can eat through metal. Even the light sockets here must be replaced each year. A quiet reminder of nature’s untamed power. Hello everyone and welcome back to the channel. I’m Kyle the Onsen guy. Now after our hiking adventure to Honawa Onsen, we are still deep in the mountains of Nagano and I’m here visiting the very special Dokan Shibu Tatsunokan which is home to the Shenen medicinal bath. Sounds wonderful. Now, this is very secluded and relatively unknown to international visitors. So, I’m very excited to relax and rehabilitate my tired body. Let’s go check it out. Oh. [Music] Wow. Now, this hotring has been considered from the time of antiquity to be a treasure from the gods, a medicinal bath that can cure ailments and things of the like. So it is of the custom before having the bath that you give thanks in a bit of a prayer to the gauze themselves to ask for healing for any ailments you may have or give thanks to the benefits that you’re going to receive going forward. So that’s what I’m going to do right now. [Music] [Music] Now this is something special. Hot spring water cascading down like a small waterfall. This is called utaseu. A traditional waterfall bath. The water flows down rigorously from an elevated faucet, massaging your shoulders, easing tension, and letting the minerals sink deep into tired muscles. Still getting the benefits of the minerals as getting pounded into your tired, aching shoulders, which is what I need after a long hike at Honzo Onen in our last video. Oh, yes. And this is Oh, very cold. Interestingly, this hotring is also drinkable. So, let’s give it a try. Bottoms up. Oh, it’s a bit sour, actually. Ah, you know what? It’s not bad. It kind of tastes like if you ever put like a bit of lemon juice into some water, it’s like that without the lemon. It’s got the sourness and a bit of like a sulfur kick to it. A little bit of bitterness. This is actually drinkable and a bit refreshing. I might take another drink. What makes this yokan even more fascinating is that it offers both hot and cold springs side by side. This allows for something called on koyoku. Contrast bathing therapy. You begin in the hot bath, warming your body from within, then move briefly to the cold one. That’s pretty. [Applause] Oh, that’ll wake you up. Wow. back and forth three to five times. Each cycle opens your blood vessels, improves circulation, and helps release builtup lactic acid. It’s an ancient form of recovery, long loved by the locals and samurai alike. And if you have high blood pressure or a weak heart, you can still enjoy it by soaking only your hands or feet. But if you’re brave enough for the full plunge, you’ll feel completely renewed body, mind, and spirit. [Music] Tiny white flakes drift across the surface. Yunohana, flowers of the hotring. Born when mineral-rich water meets the cool mountain air, they carry sulfur, carbonic acid, and alum. Minerals long praised for their powerful medicinal qualities. Ancient records call this water a sacred remedy. Its minerals are so strong they can even corrode metal. Coins left behind soon tarnish, and the light sockets here must be replaced each year, leaving the room softly lit by bare, nostalgic bulbs. Guests can even take some yunohana home, a mineral pack souvenir that you can use in your own bath. I know that may challenge your concept of what an onsen is in Japan. So I suppose it begs the question, what is an onsen? Well, according to the onsen ho or onsen law enacted in 1948, in addition to the general requirement that the spring must be sourced from underground, it must fulfill one of two requirements. The spring at the source must be above 25 degrees C. Number two, the spring must contain a required amount of minerals per 1 kg of hot spring water, one of 19 recognized minerals and gases. In fact, so in this case, we have a cold bath that is full of minerals. So you can enjoy all the mineral effects for your body even if the hot spring is a cold hot spring. But the experience doesn’t end there. Outside, an open air bath rests beneath the trees where steam rises softly into the mountain air and stillness fills every breath. After the bath, a meal of local ingredients awaits. Here, everything, the water, the air, the food, works together to restore both body and soul. That does it for our Onsen adventure this time. Make sure to subscribe and join us again for more hidden hot springs across Japan. This has been the Onsen guy. Thank you for watching and until next time, keep soaking. [Music]

Join The Onsen Guy deep in the mountains of Nagano as he visits a hot spring that shouldn’t exist —
an onsen so pure, so powerful… yet so cold it defies nature itself. ❄️

For centuries, this hidden onsen has flowed straight from the earth,
its mineral-rich waters strong enough to corrode metal and even eat through light sockets.

Locals call it medicinal — a living, breathing spring that shocks the body and stills the soul. A cherished gift from the earth used for therapy and wound-healing since antiquity.

Join The Onsen Guy as we visit one of Japan’s most mysterious and rare hot springs — located in Shibutatsu Ryokan in Nagano prefecture.
Here, the water runs cold, the air is silent,
and every soak feels like a step back in time.

Tune in and you’ll even learn the traditional bathing technique used for centuries in these healing-waters — “Onrei Kogoyoku” cold & hot spring contrast bathing♨️

Let’s go for a chilly plunge together! 🥶

📍 Shibutatsu Ryokan
奥蓼科温泉 渋・辰野館

https://maps.app.goo.gl/M4HMKEWuxvYgZDy39?g_st=ic

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——
A very special thanks to Fjällräven Japan for providing some of the wardrobe for this trip🦊

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