salt's cation — pairs with chloride to make the water salty.
Bicarbonate HCO₃⁻
"soda" — softens skin, leaves it smooth.
Known good for
Aches & jointsstiff shoulders
Smooth skindry, rough skin
Recoveryfatigue, stress
A simple thermal spring rising at the Gyokusenkan well in Ebino (Miyazaki), neutral and hypotonic but emerging above 55 degrees Celsius. Mineralization is light at 546 mg/kg, giving a gentle, unobtrusive feel on the skin. Metasilicic acid at 110.6 mg/kg is generous for a simple spring, leaving a thin silica film that places it squarely in Japan's beauty-water family. The water shows a faint brown tint at the inlet but is otherwise odorless and tasteless.
Sampled at bath inlet·Analyzed Nov 17, 2009·社団法人 熊本県薬剤師会 医薬品検査センター·Cert no. 第E2100611-01
370. Supponpon-buro Gyokusenkan, Kyomachi Onsen, Ebino, Miyazaki ★★
I stayed here for one night, an old-school, simple ryokan with a special cave onsen. From the history on the website, as I understood it, they have been in business since 1915, and moved here in 1953. They also renovated the ryokan in 1968 after an earthquake. The price for one night without meals was about ¥7 000. I took a room that was larger in size. On Trip.com, the description said smoking was allowed, but there was no smell in the room, maybe it was a glitch on Trip.com.
As I understood it, day use is available too, there was a notice at the onsen stop saying 10:00 to 21:00.
The owner greeted me in a very funny way, she was wearing a mask and grabbed her face when she saw me. At first I thought it was a reaction to me not wearing a mask. But it turned out to be simpler, she was flustered because she could not talk to me in gaidosu right then and explain how their system for access to the onsen works, since we do not share a common language. She walked with me through all the rooms and onsen, and explained with examples and a diagram how everything works, when you can go in and when you cannot, and how to open and close the room key. They have a rotating onsen access system, some are women-only at certain times, men-only at certain times, and private at certain times, first come, first served.
1. Outdoor bath with a cave onsen, water temperature 40-41. It was hard to identify the clarity and color in the evening, but in Google photos during the day it looks cloudy blue.
A very unusual, great onsen. There is a tanuki figure and a frog figure by the bath. It is really a small cave that you can enter crouching or crawling. Inside it is atmospheric, unusual, and very cool.
2. Indoor bath with clear water, temperature 40-41. Easy to breathe.
3. Private indoor bath with clear water, temperature 41-42.
4. In the outdoor area there are also two small tubs, water temperature 40-41.
A very atmospheric, great place in itself, and with a cool special cave onsen too. If I were staying somewhere in Kyomachi Onsen, I would repeat the experience and stay here again, highly recommended, I was impressed.
08.01.2025
