From hidden spring to 'secret' spa
Futamata's spring is said to have been found in 969. In the Edo period it was a 'hidden spring' with bathing restricted to the privileged. Today it is a tiny place, a few inns in the Futamata River valley about 30 minutes by car beyond the village centre; the owner of Daimaru Asunaro-so is known for having chaired the Japan Association of Secluded Hot Spring Inns.[3]
Rising underfoot
Daimaru Asunaro-so's signature is its riverside 'self-rising rock bath': the water comes up through the floor of a pool cut from the rock, so the tub is the source. With no pipes or pumps in between, the water is as close as you can get to the moment it leaves the ground. It is a sulfate spring, chiefly calcium sulfate according to Ministry of the Environment papers.[3][2]
Tsuge Yoshiharu's valley
In 1967 the manga artist Tsuge Yoshiharu stayed at Yugoya, the humblest of the five inns then in the valley, and drew 'Futamata Gorge', in which a night's lodging costs 600 yen. The inn changed hands and became Shin-Yugoya, but the entrance he drew was kept for his readers, who still come on pilgrimage.[3]
Getting there
By public transport the standard route is the inn shuttle from Shin-Shirakawa Station on the Tohoku Shinkansen, booked in advance. Fukushima Kotsu buses from Sukagawa and Kagamiishi stations exist, but check timetables and season. By car it is about 70 minutes from the Shirakawa expressway exit. Winters are snowy.[3]
