Taru Onsen

This day-use-only bathhouse stands beside the Asahi River in Yubara Onsen, on a spring that rises in the rocky riverbed, roughly in the middle of a row of three ryokan built along the same stretch of riverbank. It has separate large indoor baths for men and women, an open-air bath beside the river, and two private family baths. The alkaline water feels smooth and faintly slippery on the skin, and the outdoor bath carries the sound of the river. There is a tatami rest area for afterward. The name is said to go back to around 1570, when hot water from here was sent out in wooden barrels to soothe the sword wounds of samurai hurt in battle, and was credited with easing skin troubles and fatigue. That gave rise to the name Taru (樽, barrel) Onsen, still written today with the kanji for foot (足) while keeping the old reading.