Yunomine Onsen and Tsuboyu: Why This Japanese Hot Spring Is So Unusual
Some hot springs are mainly about soaking. Yunomine Onsen is also about pilgrimage, purification and place. Hidden in the mountains of Wakayama Prefecture, the small hot-spring settlement of Yunomine has been connected with the Kumano pilgrimage tradition for centuries. Its best-known bath, Tsuboyu, is a tiny stone-lined bath beside the creek in the centre of the village.
This alone makes this site memorable. What makes Yunomine unusual is how many different layers meet in one small place: geothermal water, religious history, the Kumano Kodo pilgrimage routes, traditional inns, a public hot-spring cooking basin and a bath closely associated with a UNESCO World Heritage cultural landscape.
If you are considering a visit, our full spring guide covers the practical details for Yunomine Onsen.