Kinugawa Onsen

Kinugawa Onsen is a hot spring town on the upper Kinugawa river in Nikko, built along a gorge. It is one of the larger hot spring towns near Tokyo, and takes more than two million visitors a year. Because it lies close to the shrines and temples of Nikko, many people stay here and go there by day.

The water is an alkaline simple spring, soft on the skin. The inns list it as good for nerve pain, for frozen shoulder, for tiredness and for general health.

It had a particular reputation for burns. An old saying set it against the neighbouring spring at Kawaji: wounds at Kawaji, burns at Taki, Taki being what this place was called then.

The spring was found in the Edo period, on the west bank of the river only, and was called Taki Onsen. The land belonged to the temples of Nikko, and use of the water was restricted: it was for the lords and monks coming back from worship at Nikko, and not for anyone else.

Hot water was found later on the east bank as well, and that spring was called Fujiwara. The two were joined under one name, and that is the Kinugawa Onsen of today.

The river runs below the town in a gorge, and a footbridge 140 metres long crosses it.