Yubara Onsen

Yuhara Onsen is an alkaline simple hot spring that is also known for its beauty benefits. There is a free footbath where you can heal your body surrounded by the sound of the river and the greenery of nature. There are many hot spring inns that use the flowing hot spring source, including traditional ones. The hot spring inns have various types of baths such as open-air baths, large communal baths, and rock baths, allowing you to enjoy different types of hot springs. Meals include seasonal dishes using carefully selected local ingredients such as Omi beef. There is also a parking lot, making it convenient for a drive trip. There are tourist spots nearby such as Yuhara Dam and Hanzaki Highland. The Yuhara Onsen Hanzaki Festival is held every August, named after the Japanese giant salamander (Hanzaki) designated as a special natural monument by the government.

In Yuhara Onsen, there is an open-air mixed bath called "Suna-yu" that overlooks the Yuhara Dam. It's free to use, so you can easily enjoy it. The spring quality is a strong alkaline hot spring with a pH of 9 or higher, containing a lot of metasilicic acid and having a high skin-beautifying effect, making it a smooth and pleasant hot spring. This spring quality is called a low-tonicity alkaline hot spring and has the characteristic of being easily absorbed into the skin due to its nature, warming the body from the core and making the skin soft and fluffy.

There are many tourist spots around Yuhara Onsen that you can enjoy with your children. There are spots where you can enjoy nature, such as the Hanzaki Center where you can get up close to the national special natural monument, the Japanese giant salamander, and Jersey Land where you can interact with Jersey cows if you go a little further to the Hanzan Kogen. There are also cherry blossom viewing spots where you can see beautiful flowers, and at night they are lit up, allowing you to enjoy the beautiful cherry blossoms all day long. There are also restaurants and dining halls in the hot spring town where you can enjoy dishes made with local ingredients, making it a place where you can enjoy with all your senses.

Surrounded by rich nature and a clear stream, Yuhara Onsen is a habitat for the national special natural monument, the Giant Salamander. In this area, the Giant Salamander is called "Hanzaki," and at the Hanzaki Center in Yuhara Onsen, you can see the protected Hanzaki living naturally in this special area in an aquarium. Nowadays, Hanzaki has become the mascot of Yuhara Onsen, and you can see it in various places around the hot spring town.

In the vicinity of Yubara Onsen, the "Yubara Onsen Hanzaki Festival" is held every August, named after the salamander (Hanzaki) designated as a special natural monument of Japan. The Hanzaki Festival, known as one of Okayama's peculiar festivals, features the appearance of large Hanzaki floats, Douchu Bayashi music, and Hanzaki Nebuta, coloring Yubara Onsen with the spirit of Hanzaki. In addition, on the day of the winter solstice every year, Yubara Onsen pours 626 Yuzu citrus fruits into the open-air sand bath to create Yuzu-yu, a traditional Japanese bath with a citrus scent. During the Christmas season, 626 candles are lit, warming your heart as well as your body.