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Mysterious patterns woven by hot spring ingredients! What is the amazing floor of Shimamaki Village's "Chishikawa Onsen"?
The name "Chihashigawa" is written as "Chihasekawa. Chihashigawa Onsen was discovered in the 4th year of Meiji Era (1871). The Chihashigawa Onsen Ryokan, which we visited this time, is a long-established hot spring facility that was founded in 1885.
The moment you step into the bath room from the changing room, you are first surprised by the pattern spread all over the floor. The unique flat patterns are created by the precipitation of hot spring ingredients.
You will also be surprised by the dark color of the hot water! Combined with the patterns on the floor, it makes you feel like you are in a hot spring. The water in the Chishikawa Onsen is a sodium bicarbonate/chloride onsen (hypotonic neutral hot spring).
It was once classified as a "sodium bicarbonate spring" and is said to be good for skin diseases, burns, and cuts because it softens the surface of the skin.
The temperature of the spring is 37.1°C, which is a little lukewarm. Therefore, it is said to be heated just a little, but this does not seem to affect the onsen components. Furthermore, although it is not listed as a spring quality, it contains a little iron, and you can smell the slight scent of iron when you soak in the hot water.
In addition to the indoor baths, Chishikawa Onsen Ryokan also has an open-air bath, but it has no roof, so it is closed in the fall when there are many fallen leaves and during snowfall.
Chishigawa Onsen has a striking appearance and is surprisingly smooth to the touch. Stopping by on the way back from climbing Mt. Kariba or Garo Falls (*) will help you recover from the fatigue of sightseeing. Of course, you can also stay overnight at Chishikawa Onsen Ryokan.
Why not stop by when you visit Shimamaki Village?
*As of the end of November 2021, the boardwalk leading to the waterfall is closed to traffic (due to the danger of collapse).
*If you would like to know a little more about the atmosphere of Chihayagawa Onsen, please check out our TouTube channel "Howatte Yumeguri Hokkaido"!
<Chihayagawa Onsen>.
Location: 561 Enoshima, Shimamaki-mura, Shimamaki-gun, Hokkaido
Phone: 0136-74-5409
Official website: https://www.chihasekawaonsen.com/
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Hokkaido Sightseeing Turtle Writer Bubu-Neko
I'm Bubaneko, a writer with many connections to sightseeing spots and tourist facilities in Hokkaido. There are many wonderful resources, even the ones we take for granted when we live in Hokkaido. I will be sharing these wonderful attractions of Hokkaido with you.