Hayashida Onsen Yu No Yama No Yu

The water here is the reason people come back: alkaline and colorless, with a faint sulfur smell and a slippery, almost gel-like feel on the skin, plus a light fizz of tiny bubbles that some reviewers take for carbonation. The indoor bath is one large room with four washing stations, and the open-air bath next to it is smaller and kept noticeably lukewarm, good for a long soak. There's no sauna. Five private family-bath rooms are also available, each with its own indoor and outdoor tub. The building was rebuilt fairly recently, but the waiting room and corridors are packed with Showa-era retro signs and knick-knacks, and the parking lot is large.