Manza Onsen

Manza Onsen is a mountain hot spring village in Tsumagoi, at 1,800 metres among old-growth forest on the southwest side of Mount Shirane, inside Joshinetsu Kogen National Park. Gunma Prefecture's tourism site describes it as the highest hot spring in Japan that can be reached by car all year round, and the Tsumagoi Tourism Association counts it among the five great hot springs of Gunma.

History

The spring is old enough that a legend tells of the general Sakanoue no Tamuramaro defeating an oni here. It became known across Japan once the first inns were built at the end of the Edo period.

The water

The springs flow at about 5.4 million litres a day and include more than twenty water types, which the village says are counted among the finest in the world. Much of the water is milky white, and the prefecture's tourism site credits Manza with the highest sulphur content of any hot spring in Japan. The village lists asthma, stomach and bowel complaints, rheumatism and skin disease among the conditions it is said to help.

Around the village

The Karabuki (空吹), an old crater, still sends up steam carrying hydrogen sulphide, and the gas has left the slopes along the road bare. A walk of 15 to 30 minutes leads to Ushiike, a clear pond that mirrors its surroundings on windless days.