I also want information about Japanese hot springs. Do you have any?

Frequent crustal movements have created hot springs dotted all over Japan. From small islands on the sea to secret places in the mountains, there are hot springs for beauty and fitness or various ornamental hot springs everywhere. According to relevant reports, there are more than 2,600 hot springs and 75,000 hot spring hotels in Japan from north to south. It is reported that approximately 110 million people use hot springs in Japan every year, which is equivalent to the total population of Japan. Therefore, Japan is known as the "Kingdom of Hot Springs". Japan's hot springs are not only numerous in number and variety, but also of high quality. There are famous hot springs almost everywhere. For the Japanese, bathing in hot springs is a kind of enjoyment and an essential part of life.

1. Definition and classification of hot springs

Japan's "Hot Springs Law" enacted in Showa 23 gave a very clear explanation of hot springs.

Hot springs are spring water that has a temperature above 25°C when it emerges from the ground or contains a certain amount of prescribed mineral components in 1 kilogram of spring water (even if the temperature is less than 25°C). Among the hot springs, there are low hot springs with a temperature below 34℃, medium hot springs with a temperature above 34℃ and below 42℃, and high hot springs with a temperature above 42℃. In addition, hot springs are divided into 11 types based on pH, osmotic pressure, etc.: simple hot springs, sodium bicarbonate springs, sodium salt springs, carbon dioxide springs, calcium and magnesium bicarbonate springs, sulfate springs, iron springs, Hydrogen sulfide springs (sulfur springs), acidic springs, radioactive springs (radium springs, radon springs) and aluminum-containing springs (including aluminum-iron sulfate springs, formerly known as Ming vanadium springs, copper-iron sulfate acidic springs, etc.).

Because the most common component in mineral springs is salt, spring water containing more than 1 gram of dissolved components in 1 kilogram of spring water is called a salt spring, while water with less than 1 gram (even if it contains Multiple ingredients) are called simple springs. Among them, the types of hot springs are subdivided according to the most components in the hot springs, such as carbonate springs, sulfur springs, etc.

And when 1 kilogram of spring water contains one of the following 7 special ingredients: 1. Free carbon dioxide 1000 mg; 2. 1 mg of copper ions; 3. Iron ion 20 mg; 4. Aluminum ion 100 mg; 5. Hydrogen ions 1 mg; 6. Sulfur 2 mg; 7. Oxygen 111 Bec is called a health spring.

2. The history of hot springs

In ancient Japanese historical documents such as "Kojiki" and "Nihon Shoki", there are detailed descriptions of the emperor's hot spring bathing, which shows that for a long time The Japanese have learned to use hot springs before. In the Nara period, due to the introduction of Buddhism, temples were built in various places. Among them, the bathing of monks played a great role in promoting the development of hot springs. At that time, people had already discovered the therapeutic effects of hot springs. The records of Yugawara Hot Spring in Kanagawa Prefecture and Kamiyamada Hot Spring in Nagano Prefecture in the "Man'yoshu" of the Heian Period indicate that the hot springs in the east were also developed. At that time, the hot springs were mainly used for leisure, treatment and various other uses by nobles and monks. Religious activities, hot springs at that time had a deep connection with religion. After Minamoto Yoritomo established the Kamakura Shogunate and moved the capital from Kyoto to Kamakura, hot springs in Tokai, Tohoku, Koshinobu and other places also began to appear in historical documents. Sick monks went to hot springs in various places for treatment. During the Muromachi period, hot springs became a place of leisure and entertainment for dignitaries and others, and were not open to the general public. By the Azuchi-Momoyama period, hot springs had been widely used to treat wounded soldiers, especially in Koshu and Shinshu. Warring States generals such as Takeda Shingen and Sanada Yukimura had their own "secret hot springs." In the modern Edo period, since medicine was not very developed, the medical effects of hot springs were highly valued and developed to a great extent. During this period, hot spring treatments were not only popular among generals and celebrities, but ordinary people also began to enjoy hot springs.

3. Japanese hot spring tourism

Today, Japan’s hot springs have made great progress, and there are many hot spring resorts all over the country. When holidays come, hot spring hotels, large and small, are filled to the brim with family trips with wives and children, sweet couples' worlds, or sunsets for old couples. Even some foreign tour groups joined in, making the hot springs more lively.

Speaking of hot spring hotels, their history can be traced back several centuries. They were originally private homes providing a resting place for businessmen, pilgrims, and foreign travelers. As demand increased, it gradually became a commercial phenomenon and developed into a hotel. The rooms in the hotel are generally separated by barriers. There are many living facilities in the house, providing comfortable living space, and four seasons food and wine supply. Food can be said to be the signature of the hotel. Especially in the evening, local specialties, local cuisine, kaiseki cuisine, etc. will be prepared for you to satisfy your appetite.

Naturally, the purpose of coming to a hot spring hotel is to soak in the hot springs. Generally, hotels will have one or two large baths. Depending on the hotel, there will also be open-air baths and bathrooms dedicated to each room. Japanese people prefer to bathe in hot water than Europeans and Americans. Hot springs are usually between 38°C and 43°C. Some public bathhouses even have hot springs exceeding 45°C.

4. Introduction to Japan’s famous hot springs

1. Beppu Hot Spring in Oita Prefecture

Beppu Hot Spring is located on Kyushu Island in southwestern Japan and belongs to Oita Prefecture. Bordering the vast Beppu Bay to the east and the Tsurumi Mountains with Aso National Park to the west, it is a hot spring resort surrounded by mountains and sea.

The biggest feature of Beppu is that it has rich hot spring resources that are rare in the world. Its spring water output is second only to Yellowstone National Park in the United States, ranking second in the world. According to the classification of hot spring water quality, there are 11 types of hot springs in the world, and Beppu has 10 types. It is the area with the highest concentration of hot spring types in the world. Therefore, Beppu has become the preferred hot spring tourism city for Japanese people.

2. Atami Hot Spring in Shizuoka Prefecture

Atami has been a famous hot spring resort since ancient times. Its earliest hot spring record dates back to 1,200 years ago, and it is one of the most famous hot spring places in Japan. There are 262 hot springs with temperatures above 42°C. The total amount of hot springs gushing out per minute is more than 20,000 liters, ranking fourth among Japanese hot spring resorts. There are many hot springs in Atami, the most famous of which are the "Seven Springs of Atami", namely Oyu, Kawarayu, Sajiroyu, Kiyozaemonyu, Furo no Yu, Ozawayu and Nonakayu.

Atami Onsen is mainly a "weak salt spring", which contains salt similar to sea salt. After bathing in hot springs, salt will be left on the skin, which has a good moisturizing effect, so you will not feel cold after bathing in hot springs. It also has a sweating effect and can promote the body's metabolism, so it is effective for rheumatism, neuralgia, skin diseases and internal organ diseases.

3. Kusatsu Hot Spring in Gunma Prefecture

Kusatsu Hot Spring, also known as "Medicine Hot Spring", is located in Kusatsu Town, Azuma County, Gunma Prefecture. It has always been famous for its beautiful natural environment and extremely high curative effects. It has been used as a treatment for diseases since ancient times. It is famous far and near as a famous hot spring for keeping healthy. Its spring quality is hydrogen sulfide acidic spring and acidic sulfate spring, and the water temperature is as high as 50℃~96℃. It has certain effects on the treatment of rheumatic diseases, neuralgia, chronic skin diseases, trauma, diabetes, etc. The natural outflow volume of Kusatsu Onsen is approximately 40,000 liters per minute, ranking first among all hot springs in Japan. The "Yuda" in Kusatsu Onsen Town has hot spring water flowing all year round. There is also a traditional activity in Kusatsu Onsen, which is to use long wooden boards to stir the spring water in the hot spring bath to achieve the purpose of mixing the medicinal elements in the hot spring evenly, lowering the temperature and improving the curative effect, which has become a symbol of the hot spring town.

The Japanese call bathhouses "furo", so Japan is also known as the "furo nation".

The Japanese habit of bathing in hot springs began in the 8th century AD. At that time, most Japanese bathed in streams and rivers. Only monks in temples could bathe in hot springs because they had to purify themselves. Therefore, bathing in temples The equipment was complete, but at that time, most people did not have bathrooms in their homes.

In Japan, almost all modern hot spring hotels or inns, as well as public baths, are often more spacious and comfortable than the "women's baths". However, in recent years, the number of female bathhouse guests has increased every year, so many women Men's and women's baths are required to be the same size. In order to adapt to the new trend, some traditional hotels have to adopt a workaround when they cannot renovate at the moment. The "dianfang" large bathing area is reserved for "ladies" during a certain period of time, which is called women's bathing area. Time can also be considered as an explanation for female soup drinkers.

There are many types of hot spring hotels in Japan, and there are even large hot spring theme parks. Except for the mandatory swimsuits in the spas, the rest are natural and smooth bathing baths. In the special places for hot spring "bath treatment", there will be so-called hot spring medical doctors to guide bathers on the correct way to bathe and treat. If you want to choose the most cost-effective place to bathe, then go to a public bathhouse. There are public bathhouses in all hot spring towns in Japan. The fee is only 50 to 100 yen, and some places are even free.

Among the many hot springs, the following five hot springs are particularly famous in Japan.

Kusatsu Onsen is a three-minute bath time hot spring. Kusatsu Onsen, located in Gunma Prefecture, becomes more smoky as it gets colder. Its biggest feature is its strong acidity. The pH value is 1.5, which has strong sterilization and detoxification effect, and has good curative effect on patients with athlete's foot and skin diseases. Because the temperature of this spring is as high as 60 degrees Celsius, it is impossible to bathe in it. Adding water to dilute it would not affect the curative effect. Therefore, a method of beating the water with a wooden board to lower the temperature was invented. In the old Kusatsu famous hot spring baths, there was the so-called "Tang Chang". While shouting the beat, someone held a soup board about 1.8 meters long and 30 centimeters wide. They followed the command and slapped the water to lower the temperature. Then the bathers entered in order. Bathing area, but each person is limited to 3 minutes, hence the name "time soup". In addition, Kusatsu also has the "Four Seasons Bath" which is a medicinal bath scented with tangerine or lavender. Recently, a hot spring slimming bath for diet and beauty has been launched.

Sado Hot Spring, a hot spring that improves eyesight and protects eyesight: This hot spring is located in a place called "Sado Island". There are 10 hot springs on Sado Island, most of which are salt springs. Among them, the hot spring named "Anjuwa Cooko King's Hot Spring" has a warm legend. According to legend, the blind old mother's sad tears formed a river in search of her lost daughter Anshou and son Cook Wang, so this area is full of salty spring water. This spring water contains boric acid and carrotic acid that are beneficial to the eyes, and can improve chronic eye diseases and improve vision.

Tsukioka Spring is a magical hot spring for beauty. Tsukioka Spring is known as the number one hydrogen sulfide spring in Japan. It has the effect of exfoliating the skin, bleaching the skin, and even keeping the skin beautiful and anti-aging.

In recent years, Tsukioka Onsen has become so popular that it has been nicknamed the Magic Hot Spring. Furthermore, the color of Tsukioka Onsen’s water changes with the weather, sometimes charmingly colorful, sometimes showing a bright emerald color. It is said that in the past, residents used to measure the color of the soup. What's the weather!

Ikaho Hot Spring, a hot spring that improves women’s physique: Ikaho Hot Spring in Gunma Prefecture is only two hours away from Tokyo. The hot spring has a long history. It began to flow more than 1,300 years ago. It is dark brown in color and can be used for bathing. It is drinkable. Because it contains iron, it penetrates into the body through the skin and has the effect of improving the anemia and cold constitution that women often have. It also has the functions of beautifying, losing weight, and curing pain. It is said that many women with infertility suffer from infertility after taking this soup. Conception is also known as the "sending child soup".

Kawabata Yasunari's romantic snow country hot spring - Yuzawa Onsen: "The long tunnel passing through the county is the snow country..." This is the award-winning masterpiece of Japanese Nobel writer Yasunari Kawabata The opening sentence of "Snow Country" can be said to be a familiar and catchy sentence throughout Japan. Last year coincided with Kawabata Yasunari's 100th birthday, and it was also the 60th anniversary of the publication of "Snow Country". Japan has long been aroused The craze of Snow Country Fever and Snow Country Tour, and the background of this book is new? Of course, Yuzawa in the prefecture has become the most popular place in winter, and the hot springs in Yuzawa have become the must-have snow country hot springs in Kawabata Yasunari's romantic trip.

Yuzawa’s hot springs are weak salt springs that were discovered 800 years ago and are effective in treating strokes, arthritis, gastrointestinal inflammation, etc.

For the Japanese, going to hot springs in winter means going on a trip. Hot spring travel in the 21st century will definitely be the most popular way in Japan.

I just hope it will help you.