From Deer Bath to Acid Bath
The spring is said to have opened in 1684. A wounded deer was supposedly healed here, so it was called Shikayu, 'deer bath'; the sound slid to 'Sukayu' and the characters for 'acid bath' were fitted to the sharp water. The present company dates from 1933. In 1954 Sukayu, together with Shima and Nikko-Yumoto, became the first National Recuperation Hot Spring Areas in Japan.[1][6][4]
160 tatami without a pillar
The Sennin-buro is built solely of Aomori hiba cypress, and its 160-tatami hall has not one pillar. Two large tubs — the Hot Bath and the Four-Six Bath — plus the Cool Bath and a waterfall shower each draw on a different source. The hall is mixed, but changing rooms are separate, a marker divides the floor, and from 8 to 9 each morning it is women-only. Bathing garments must be the inn's own rental or purchase items.[2][3]
A toji inn that stays open through the snow
Sukayu sits at about 900 m on the western flank of the Hakkoda range, where some 17 m of snow falls each winter and drifts exceed 5 m. The inn used to close from November to February but has operated year-round since 1982. On 26 February 2013 the local station measured 566 cm, a national record. Roads are not ploughed after 17:00 in winter, so the rule is to arrive before dark.[1][5]
