Atsushio Onsen has a 600-year long history, and was discovered by Genno Shinsho, who also founded Jigen-ji Temple, which is now a sightseeing spot in Kitakata City.
As its name, Atsushio (hot salt) suggests, the hot spring is characterized by its very hot water, which runs at 68 degrees Celsius and its high salt content.
The spring elements of sodium and calcium chloride work to warm your body from the inside, and the hot spring is effective against gynecological diseases, chronic dermatitis, and gastroenteropathy, among other ailments. The people in the nearby towns have come here for its healing properties since ancient times.
It is also called "Kodakara-no-yu" (bath of blessed children). There are jizo statues dedicated to child-rearing at the entrance of Atsushio Onsen, and people who were blessed with children after bathing in the hot spring can sometimes be seen offering prayers of gratitude before them.
Aizu's backyard, surrounded by trees more than a century old, provides people with solace.
