Kinosaki Ichiban-fuda
Received a first-bather wooden tag at a Kinosaki sotoyu (2002–2021)
From around 2002 until 2021-03-31, the Yushima Zaisan-ku and the former Kinosaki Town Onsen Division handed out a small wooden tag — the 一番札 (ichiban-fuda) — to the very first male and first female bather through the noren at each of Kinosaki's seven sotoyu every morning. Fourteen tags a day, pyrographed with the bathhouse name and the date, impossible to obtain without lining up 30–45 minutes before opening, and never sold through any shop.
The program was retired at the end of March 2021 after long-running disputes over the opening-door queue and an awkward second life of the tags appearing on Mercari. No successor program exists. The small stock of real ichiban-fuda in circulation is now fixed forever.
How to earn
This is a legacy badge — it can no longer be newly earned. It is awarded by Onsen Oni moderators to users who actually hold one or more ichiban-fuda. Send a clear photo of your tag (showing the bathhouse name and date) through the feedback channel. The badge is repeatable — the number on your tile shows how many distinct tags you've verified.
The seven sotoyu
Sato-no-yu · Jizo-yu · Yanagi-yu · Ichi-no-yu · Gosho-no-yu · Mandara-yu · Kono-yu.
Each bath issued its own tag. One per sex per bath per day, so the theoretical ceiling per person is 14 distinct tags.