salt's cation — pairs with chloride to make the water salty.
Bicarbonate HCO₃⁻
"soda" — softens skin, leaves it smooth.
Known good for
Smooth skindry, rough skin
Recoveryfatigue, stress
An iron(II)-bearing sodium-magnesium bicarbonate spring that oxidizes reddish-brown on contact with air. The 48.4 °C source is delivered to the bath cooled to about 42 °C; the bicarbonate character also leaves skin feeling smooth. Iron measures 20.2 mg/kg — at the iron-spring threshold — with a generous 989 mg/kg of free CO₂.
Sampled at wellhead·Analyzed Jul 25, 2007·Cert no. 大分県衛生第3号
426. Sui Jin Nomori, Taketa, Oita (Nagayu Onsen) ★★
I went for a day visit for ¥500. Day visits are listed from 10:00 to 17:00, though they recommend checking in advance. They stamp the Kyushu 88 Onsen stamp rally.
At first no one was there, but then an old man came out. It was a bit hard to talk with him, but he let me in for a day visit. There was some kind of instruction sheet on the table, but I did not bother reading it closely and only took a photo. After that, when I walked through the building toward the onsen, I met a woman who could speak a little English, she was also in charge there because some renovation work was going on at the same time. She asked me whether I understood how to use their onsen, and said there had been instructions. I gave the usual “daijobu” and she showed me where to go.
Inside I saw two baths, both covered with lids. Overall, the atmosphere was also distinctive. Then I found a photo of the instructions, which said the lids should be removed and then put back as they were after use. The water in the baths was cloudy white-green-yellow, with a film on the surface. The temperatures were 37.5 for one bath and 39.5 for the other.
When I was leaving, the woman started telling me in English and Japanese that their place was not an ordinary one and was somehow connected with some actor or famous person, maybe someone had stayed here, but the translation difficulties made it impossible to understand everything. After that, the woman started asking me questions. Then she took out a towel from their onsen, said it was a present, a “lucky” towel, then looked at me while holding it and asked where my family was. I said they were at home, and in response she took out a second towel and gave me two. I went to the car to get the matryoshka, came back, and then there was an emotional exchange while unwrapping the matryoshka, and the foreman in charge of their renovation joined in. The woman went to their goods counter and brought me Japanese sweets as an extra gift.
The place itself is unusual, and the welcome was very warm. By the way, the towel really did turn out to be “lucky.” Definitely recommended.
15.01.2025
