HAMAMATSU CITY

In the depths of winter, as Hamamatsu’s renowned, blustery wind (karakkaze) blows outside the door, there is no better way to pass an afternoon than with a dip in the warm waters of an onsen (hot spring). This uniquely Japanese pastime has existed for over 2,000 years, and is often the highlight of any winter visit to the country.

A traditional wooden bath overlooking Lake Hamana, Kanzanji Onsen

Onsen are natural hot springs, rich in minerals, which are found in abundance throughout Japan thanks to the many volcanoes on the archipelago. Both onsen found by drilling underground, and those where the water wells up naturally, exist among the more than 1,800 hot spring resorts in Japan. It is said that some of the first onsen were discovered by hunters who followed their wounded prey to the waters where they went to nurse their wounds. The earliest references to onsen appear in ancient texts such as the Nihon Shoki (720) and the Manyōshū (a poetry anthology completed in the 8^th
century), in the context of purification rites and Imperial visits
to onsen. In medieval times, warriors would go to onsen to recuperate after battles, and it was only during the Edo period (1603-1867) that guides to Japan’s onsen were first published and bathing became popularized. Following the development of science and technology in the Meiji period (1868-1912), extensive medical research was conducted into the healing properties of the mineral-rich onsen waters, which are thought to be effective for a range of symptoms.