"Maniac Nikko Sightseeing" for experienced travelers, Part 4: Hidden Hot Springs - Yunishigawa Onsen

A hot spring in a mountain village where the legend of the Heike fugitives still lives on

During the Kamakura Festival, which takes place from late January to early March, miniature kamakura (snow igloos) lined up along the riverbank at the mouth of the Sawaguchi River are lit with candle light, creating a fantastical landscape.

Yunishigawa Onsen is Located in the Kawaji Onsen area, it is known as a place where refugees from the Heike clan once hid.

The legend of the Heike refugees lives on to this day. There are places like "Heike no Sato" and "Heike Rikumin Musen" (Heike Folk Museum), which display the lifestyle and historical documents of the Heike refugees, "Jiko-ji Temple", said to be the family temple of the Heike refugees, and hot springs that are said to have been discovered by the descendants of the Heike refugees. And even today, carp streamers are not flown in this area, and chickens are not kept. These are customs that the Heike refugees devised to hide themselves.

Enjoying fugitive cuisine such as "Misobera" by the hearth and relaxing in the open-air bath along the valley, an indescribable melancholy hangs over you as you think about the lives of the Heike fugitives who continued to hold their breath and wait for the passage of time.

※Ochiudo (fugitive)>>

A fallen warrior. A person who is defeated in battle and flees.

access

Access by public transport : Take the Yawata Railway Aizu-Kinugawa Line to Yunishigawa Onsen Station and take the bus bound for Yunishigawa Onsen for about 25 minutes.

Access by car : Approximately 60 minutes from Imaichi IC on the Nikko Utsunomiya Road.