Sulphur Springs: Milky White Waters & Their Skin Indications

Hirugami's waters famously burst forth in 1973 during railway tunnel construction. Wells No. 2 to 5 followed, and today their blended "new mixed spring" is centrally managed and piped to the inns of the valley. At pH 9.8 it is strongly alkaline, giving the skin a slippery, silky feel, with a faint sulfur scent and gentle sweetness.

The Yubatake source, naturally gushing from Kusatsu Onsen's iconic Yubatake (Kusatsu's central hot-water field), holds a distinguished history. During the Edo period, it was ranked as the highest-ranking Ozeki in the Onsen Banzuke, recognized alongside the Shirahata source as one of Kusatsu's two major hot springs. Its powerful, pH2 water, permeated with a sulfurous aroma, imparts a refreshing, tightening sensation upon the skin. A soak in this historic, renowned hot spring cleanses the body and mind, offering deep relaxation and rejuvenation from daily fatigue. It is a must-visit for those seeking to feel the energy of a historic hot spring and desire a complete refresh.

Shiobetsu Onsen was first claimed in 1901; the Nomura mining company built a staff retreat here in 1960 and opened it to the public as "Ryokan Tsurutsuru Onsen" in 1970. The water blends two wells, Nomura No. 5 and No. 7, which pour into the indoor bath and flow generously into a spacious open-air bath reached by a small bridge. At pH 9.6 it is strongly alkaline with a faint egg-like scent, leaving skin slippery-smooth — "tsurutsuru," just as the name promises.

Shirahatage Genzen, located in Kusatsu Onsen and adjacent to Yubatake (Kusatsu's central hot-water field), is said to have been discovered by Minamoto no Yoritomo. Historically, it served as the stage for 'Jikan-yu' (timed bathing), supporting balneotherapy culture, and is truly considered the soul of Kusatsu. Its distinctive aroma and powerful waters, which feel as though they firm the skin, seem to awaken the mind and body from within. Surrendering to its embrace offers a pure moment to shed daily clamor and rediscover one's true self. This spring is a sanctuary for those seeking a fresh start and rejuvenation.

This rare, naturally gushing source emerges from beneath 'Gensenkaku,' nestled beside Kusatsu Onsen's iconic Yubatake (Kusatsu's central hot-water field). Despite its strong acidity, its waters offer a remarkably soft bathing sensation, akin to being enveloped in silk floss. The milky-white waters, renowned for having Kusatsu's finest 'yunohana' (hot spring minerals), gently embrace the skin, contributing to silky skin and providing a restorative warmth that lingers deep within the body. Known as a 'phantom spring' for its history of disappearing once during the Taisho era, it now offers a profound escape from daily life, inviting deep relaxation and rejuvenation.

The Yubatake source, naturally gushing from Kusatsu Onsen's iconic Yubatake (Kusatsu's central hot-water field), holds a distinguished history. During the Edo period, it was ranked as the highest-ranking Ozeki in the Onsen Banzuke, recognized alongside the Shirahata source as one of Kusatsu's two major hot springs. Its powerful, pH2 water, permeated with a sulfurous aroma, imparts a refreshing, tightening sensation upon the skin. A soak in this historic, renowned hot spring cleanses the body and mind, offering deep relaxation and rejuvenation from daily fatigue. It is a must-visit for those seeking to feel the energy of a historic hot spring and desire a complete refresh.

Namegawa Onsen, one of the eight hot springs of Yonezawa, is a mountain healing retreat in the Azuma range said to have opened in the Edo period with permission from the Uesugi domain. The Uenoyu source gushes beside the Maekawa stream, its bluish milky-white water carrying a gentle scent of sulfur. The water feels weighty and smooth, leaving the skin soft and light after bathing. Deep in the mountains, it suits those who want a quiet soak to the sound of the gorge.

Kamioka Onsen flows on its own, without pumps, from a 170 m well drilled in 1957 in Beppu's Kannawa district. A 2025 analysis recorded 89.5°C and pH 9.0: an unusual alkaline sulfur spring in a town known for acidic sulfur waters, its sulfur dissolved as hydrosulfide ions rather than gas. Sodium 228.0 mg/kg, bicarbonate 279.0 mg/kg, sulfate 184.0 mg/kg and metasilicic acid 339.0 mg/kg give a clear water with a faint sulfur scent and a quiet, deeply comforting character.

Kurume Onsen rises in Yunosaka, on the eastern edge of Kurume overlooking the Chikugo Plain, where drilling in the late Showa era struck a spring that flows by its own pressure. It still gushes 94 liters a minute at over 50°C without pumps. The alkaline water carries a faint scent of sulfur and leaves a squeaky-clean, smooth feel, an unpretentious beauty bath right on the city's doorstep.

Drawn from Ogama, the boiling pools where villagers still cook vegetables and eggs, this clear water carries a strong sulfur scent and flakes of white mineral bloom. Sulfate-rich and alkaline, it warms deeply and feels smooth on the skin: a hard-working spring that has served village life for centuries.

Nestled in Noboribetsu Onsen, famously called the "Department Store of Hot Springs" and rooted in the Ainu "Nupur-pet" (deeply colored river), the historic "Uma no Yu" source has flowed since Taisho 6 (1917). Its faint sulfur aroma gently unwinds the mind and body. The waters, softly enveloping the skin, warm the body to its core, providing restorative warmth that lingers. Overlooking a beautiful Japanese garden, this tranquil spring offers deep relaxation, a serene escape from daily commotion.

The Shiroyu source is one of four springs of differing character that rise within about 50 meters of one another at Yunotai, said to be the oldest bathing ground of Nyuto Onsen, where records of a spa date back to the Edo period. Long called the "beauty spring" and the "spring for chills," it bubbles up beneath an open-air bath and is also piped to nearby lodgings. Its bluish, cloudy water carries a gentle sulfur scent and a soft, smooth touch, leaving skin supple and warmth that lingers long after a soak, a spring for anyone who wants to unwind slowly in the beech forest.

Kurami No. 3 is a spring of Kurami Onsen, tucked into the hills of northern Kakegawa, where some 10.7 liters per minute well up naturally. Kurami No. 3 emerges nearly colorless with a faint whiff of hydrogen sulfide, and its pH 9.5 alkalinity gives the water a silky, slippery touch that lingers on the skin after bathing. It suits anyone hoping to unwind quietly in a mountain village while caring for their skin.

Shin Awanoyu Gensen rises in Shirahone Onsen, a mountain spa village in the Northern Alps known for its milky waters. Clear at the moment it emerges, the water turns pale blue-white as it meets the air, with white mineral flakes drifting through it. At about 36°C, close to body temperature, carbon dioxide gathers on the skin as fine bubbles amid a faint sulfur scent, suiting bathers who prefer to linger for hours rather than hurry through a hot soak.

Kintaro Onsen gushes in Tenjinno, Uozu, close to Kurobe-Unazukionsen Station on the Hokuriku Shinkansen, where the edge of an alluvial fan looks up to the Tateyama range. The Kintaro Onsen source unites the qualities of a chloride spring and a sulfur spring: a dense, hypertonic water holding 4790.0 mg/kg of sodium and 1401.0 mg/kg of calcium, with thiosulfate and free hydrogen sulfide lending a sulfur scent. White and grey mineral flakes drift through the water, suiting bathers who want a hot, deeply warming soak and lovers of both salt and sulfur.

Amagase Onsen is one of Bungo's three great hot springs, alongside Beppu and Yufuin. The Ukihabekan Shinshiyo source is drawn via a 150-meter deep powered drill from a hillside site. With over 1,300 years of history, Amagase's waters were mentioned in the ancient "Bungo Fudoki" chronicles and have long been cherished for therapeutic bathing. This source combines pH 8.9 alkalinity with sulfur properties, gently removing old skin cells for a smooth feel. You can enjoy a silky skin sensation after bathing, perfect for those seeking to refresh mind and body.

This rare, naturally gushing source emerges from beneath 'Gensenkaku,' nestled beside Kusatsu Onsen's iconic Yubatake (Kusatsu's central hot-water field). Despite its strong acidity, its waters offer a remarkably soft bathing sensation, akin to being enveloped in silk floss. The milky-white waters, renowned for having Kusatsu's finest 'yunohana' (hot spring minerals), gently embrace the skin, contributing to silky skin and providing a restorative warmth that lingers deep within the body. Known as a 'phantom spring' for its history of disappearing once during the Taisho era, it now offers a profound escape from daily life, inviting deep relaxation and rejuvenation.

Sarugawa Onsen has long been known as a cold spring seeping naturally from the left bank of the Saru River in a national forest, with piping to the baths beginning in 1973. As the natural flow dwindled, an 80-meter well was drilled in 1997 and now feeds the baths. The pH 9.4 alkaline water carries a faint hint of sulfur and leaves skin feeling smooth, suiting skiers and campers who want to unwind in the Hidaka hills.

Myoban Onsen prospered in the Edo period through alum production and still keeps rows of thatched huts where yunohana sulfur flowers are made. Here the Okamotoya Ryokan source gushes naturally at 74.4°C in Myoban 3-kumi; colorless as it emerges, it turns a milky, bluish white once it meets the air in the bath. Its acidity gently loosens old skin cells, leaving a soft, light feeling afterward, and it suits anyone who wishes to steep in dense sulfur water amid mountain steam.

Shibu Onsen, said to have been discovered by the monk Gyoki in the Nara period, is home to the No.1 Boring source, which gushes up on its own from a deep borehole at 97.6°C, close to boiling. Nearly clear and carrying a faint whiff of sulfur, the water wraps the body in salty, sulfate-rich warmth yet leaves a light, refreshed feeling afterwards. It suits travelers pausing between cobbled bathhouse visits and anyone seeking deep warmth on a cold mountain night.

Emerging from a tea field near the gate of Kurama-dera Temple in Kyoto's "inner parlor" during the late Meiji era, this rare and esteemed hot spring offers subtly sulfur-scented waters. Its gentle, weak alkaline touch smoothly envelops the skin, leaving it with a silky feel. After bathing, a refreshing lightness of body and mind promotes rejuvenation. It provides deep relaxation, helping to relieve pain from journeys exploring Kifune Shrine and Kurama-dera Temple, allowing visitors to deeply refresh amidst the beauty of nature through the four seasons.

The Yubatake source, naturally gushing from Kusatsu Onsen's iconic Yubatake (Kusatsu's central hot-water field), holds a distinguished history. During the Edo period, it was ranked as the highest-ranking Ozeki in the Onsen Banzuke, recognized alongside the Shirahata source as one of Kusatsu's two major hot springs. Its powerful, pH2 water, permeated with a sulfurous aroma, imparts a refreshing, tightening sensation upon the skin. A soak in this historic, renowned hot spring cleanses the body and mind, offering deep relaxation and rejuvenation from daily fatigue. It is a must-visit for those seeking to feel the energy of a historic hot spring and desire a complete refresh.

The Hinazakura source is one of several springs pumped from the national forest at the far end of Nyuto Onsen, an area named for the crabs that live in its mountain streams. Here each bathhouse draws on its own source, so the waters share a type yet differ subtly in their minerals. Rare among Nyuto's milky springs, this one runs clear, with a slight silkiness, drifting white mineral flakes and a gentle sulfur scent that soothe the skin, a spring for anyone who wants to linger quietly above the beech forest.

Known for some 1,700 years and said to be one of Takeda Shingen's hidden baths, Umegashima is a mountain toji village at the head of the Abe River. The city manages the spring and distributes it to the inns. Clear yet scattered with white yunohana, its pH 9.4 alkaline water feels silky and slippery, long praised as a "bath that makes beauties" and ideal for slow, lukewarm soaks.

The Yubatake source, naturally gushing from Kusatsu Onsen's iconic Yubatake (Kusatsu's central hot-water field), holds a distinguished history. During the Edo period, it was ranked as the highest-ranking Ozeki in the Onsen Banzuke, recognized alongside the Shirahata source as one of Kusatsu's two major hot springs. Its powerful, pH2 water, permeated with a sulfurous aroma, imparts a refreshing, tightening sensation upon the skin. A soak in this historic, renowned hot spring cleanses the body and mind, offering deep relaxation and rejuvenation from daily fatigue. It is a must-visit for those seeking to feel the energy of a historic hot spring and desire a complete refresh.

The Yubatake source, naturally gushing from Kusatsu Onsen's iconic Yubatake (Kusatsu's central hot-water field), holds a distinguished history. During the Edo period, it was ranked as the highest-ranking Ozeki in the Onsen Banzuke, recognized alongside the Shirahata source as one of Kusatsu's two major hot springs. Its powerful, pH2 water, permeated with a sulfurous aroma, imparts a refreshing, tightening sensation upon the skin. A soak in this historic, renowned hot spring cleanses the body and mind, offering deep relaxation and rejuvenation from daily fatigue. It is a must-visit for those seeking to feel the energy of a historic hot spring and desire a complete refresh.

Onneyu Onsen began in 1899, when spring rights were granted at a spot the Ainu had used as a hunting lodge. Ooe Honke dates its founding to that year and uses water that the Onneyu Onsen cooperative pumps from three wells (Kumiai No. 1–3) in the Hanaoka district and blends in a mixing tank. At pH 8.8 the water is clear and smooth on the skin with a light sulfur scent, perfect for long soaks in spacious indoor and open-air baths amid the quiet mountains of the Okhotsk region.

Sounkyo Onsen traces its roots to the Shioya hot spring opened beside the Ishikari River in the early Taisho era. The Katsura no Yu 1-2-3 mixed source wells up naturally at about 79°C from only two meters underground, is stored in a tank and piped along the mountainside to the baths. Softly scented with sulfur and silky on the skin, it leaves bathers feeling light, a fine companion for travelers unwinding beneath the gorge's towering cliffs.

This private spring in Nozawa Onsen first served a humble bathhouse for therapeutic stays in the Taisho era. Sulfate is its main component, joined by chloride, calcium and hydrosulfide, giving a mineral-rich water whose color shifts from lapis blue to milky white with the seasons and the hour. Because the freshly emerged water flows straight into the baths, it keeps its freshness. Long favored by guests seeking relief for cuts and bruises, it suits travelers who want to rest their bodies slowly and deeply.

Nestled in Kusatsu Onsen, one of Japan's three most renowned hot springs, Jizo-no-yu has been cherished since ancient times, deeply intertwined with Kusatsu's unique `yumomi` (hot water stirring) culture. This powerful spring, known for its invigorating touch, seems to cleanse away physical and mental stagnation. It provides a deep, restorative warmth that penetrates to the core, offering a refreshing sensation akin to rejuvenation after your bath. Jizo-no-yu offers solace to travelers seeking relief from persistent fatigue or skin discomfort, and those desiring an authentic hot spring experience.

Dake Onsen's association source feeds a spa village said to have opened in 1674. Its self-flowing water is piped several kilometers down from the slopes of Mt. Iwaki, and the local association flushes sulfur deposits from the pipes every month. Listed in Edo-period hot spring rankings, its sharply sour, sulfurous water suits travelers seeking an old-fashioned toji retreat.

The Yubatake source, naturally gushing from Kusatsu Onsen's iconic Yubatake (Kusatsu's central hot-water field), holds a distinguished history. During the Edo period, it was ranked as the highest-ranking Ozeki in the Onsen Banzuke, recognized alongside the Shirahata source as one of Kusatsu's two major hot springs. Its powerful, pH2 water, permeated with a sulfurous aroma, imparts a refreshing, tightening sensation upon the skin. A soak in this historic, renowned hot spring cleanses the body and mind, offering deep relaxation and rejuvenation from daily fatigue. It is a must-visit for those seeking to feel the energy of a historic hot spring and desire a complete refresh.

The Yubatake source, naturally gushing from Kusatsu Onsen's iconic Yubatake (Kusatsu's central hot-water field), holds a distinguished history. During the Edo period, it was ranked as the highest-ranking Ozeki in the Onsen Banzuke, recognized alongside the Shirahata source as one of Kusatsu's two major hot springs. Its powerful, pH2 water, permeated with a sulfurous aroma, imparts a refreshing, tightening sensation upon the skin. A soak in this historic, renowned hot spring cleanses the body and mind, offering deep relaxation and rejuvenation from daily fatigue. It is a must-visit for those seeking to feel the energy of a historic hot spring and desire a complete refresh.

Ubayu Gensen gushes naturally from fissures in acidic welded tuff at roughly 1,250 metres on the flank of Mount Dainichi in the Azuma range. Tradition holds that Endo Okura, a gold prospector, found it in 1533 after meeting a mountain crone — the yamauba whose name the source still carries. Carried down by gravity through vinyl piping and cooled in troughs that harvest sulphur flowers, its pH 2.6 waters bubble with hydrogen sulphide, tightening the skin and leaving a clean lightness behind. It suits travellers who want deep mountain stillness.

Makukawa No.1 Source gushes naturally deep in the folds of the Azuma mountain range, beside the Makukawa stream at around 1,300 meters. Emerging at 54.2°C, the clear water mellows as it travels through the pipes, and its 154 mg/kg of metasilicic acid lends a gentle, moisturizing touch. It suits travelers who wish to unwind slowly in mountain silence.

Bessho Onsen No.4 Source is one of the springs of Bessho Onsen, a 1,400-year-old spa some link to the "Nanakuri no yu" praised in The Pillow Book, and it is said to feed the drinking fountain at Kitamuki Kannon temple. Nearly clear, the water carries a toasty sulfur aroma and an alkaline softness that wraps the skin in a slippery smoothness. It suits travelers who want a quiet soak at the gate of an ancient temple.

The Yuhanazawa No.3, No.5 and No.6 Combined Source gathers three springs welling up in the Yuhanazawa district of Takayu Onsen, a spa said to have opened in the Keicho era and once counted among the "Three Takayu of Oshu" alongside Zao and Shirabu. Tart at pH 2.6 and scented with powdery sulfur, its water gushes from the spouts in a blizzard of white mineral flakes, steeping the tubs in a milky blue. It suits travelers seeking a genuine mountain sulfur soak.

The Sakura no Yu source rises unaided in the Nasu range, high in the Okunasu district of Omaru Onsen, delivering 189 litres a minute without a pump. The waters of this pocket of the mountains have been tended for more than two centuries, and in the Meiji era General Nogi Maresuke is said to have come each year to take the cure. Emerging at 77.9°C, the water is all but colourless and clear, neither scented nor tasting of much. Rich in metasilicic acid, it feels rounded on the skin and leaves a soft, unhurried lightness once the bathing is done. It suits anyone who wants to steep quietly, without sting or drama, in the hush of the mountains.

A new 'Wa-modern' current emerged in Noboribetsu Onsen's history in 2006. This distinctive spring, with its faintly fragrant sulfur, evokes a sense of travel, while its chloride and sulfate composition gently infuses the skin with rich warmth. The heat gradually permeates the body's core, offering a pleasant restorative warmth that endures post-bath. It is perfectly suited for those desiring deep relaxation for mind and body in a sophisticated ambiance, far from daily clamor.

Counted among Kusatsu's historic "Twelve Baths" since the Edo period, Kunshi no Yu is said to have been named in the Kan'ei era and still bubbles up west of the Yubatake, toward Sainokawara. Flowing naturally at 64.7 liters per minute, its clear water carries drifting white mineral flakes and a gentle sulfur aroma that distills the essence of Kusatsu.