Oshamambe Onsen Hotel

A small, old-fashioned hotel in Oshamanbe Onsen, Hokkaido. The spring here was found by accident, struck by drillers testing for natural gas rather than sought out. The water runs clear and salty, and it's hot enough that a soak leaves the skin feeling smooth. The communal bath is built in a figure-eight shape, with a hotter pool and a cooler one side by side, plus a standing water-jet bath (utaseyu, 打たせ湯) for the shoulders and back. A separate reservable family bath sits apart from the main bathhouse, and day-use bathing is open to visitors who aren't staying the night. The building itself has an old, Showa-era (昭和) feel.