Shima Onsen

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Shima Onsen

You can relax at the miraculous spring or fountain, which is effective for gastrointestinal diseases.

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Located in the upper reaches of the Shima River, which originates in the Mikuni Mountains and is situated in a lush national park, Shima Onsen is a famous hot spring with a history of over 1,000 years. It is said that a military commander of the Minamoto clan(Genji) was guided by a child (an incarnation of a god) who appeared out of nowhere, heard an oracle that he would be given a sacred spring that would cure the illnesses of Shima (Yonman / 40,000 diseases), and found a hot spring that gushed forth.

It gained fame as a therapeutic hot spring, and the Sanada clan, which ruled the area, continued to repair and maintain the roads and bridges that had been ruined by warfare. Shortly after the war, when the Jomo karuta (Japanese traditional playing cards with pictures and writing) was created, the name was read as "Shima Onsen for washing the dust of the world," and the area attracted attention as a hot spring for families to enjoy together.

The first of its many benefits is "gastrointestinal diseases". It has been selected as one of the "three best hot springs for gastrointestinal diseases in Japan. It has also long been famous as "Kusatsu's finishing hot spring" because of its location near Kusatsu Onsen. The name was derived from the fact that after a hot-spring cure in the highly acidic Kusatsu hot water, the patient would bathe in Shima Onsen, a sulfate spring with moisturizing and whitening effects, to complete the cure. Japan's oldest wooden bath house architecture remains, and there are many historic and long-established inns with their own hot spring sources, making this hot spring resort a valuable place to learn about Japan's hot-spring cure culture.

Highlights

  • A hot spring resort known as the back seat of Gunma.
  • Famous hot spring that cures 40,000 illnesses.
  • Sekizenkan, the oldest wooden bathhouse in Japan, is a historically important building.

Photos

  • Ancient hot spring with a history of more than 1,000 years

    Ancient hot spring with a history of more than 1,000 years

  • Lake Okushima is a mysterious blue lake

    Lake Okushima is a mysterious blue lake

  • Sekizenkan with its dignified appearance

    Sekizenkan with its dignified appearance

  • Shimankan's hot springs are filled with the warmth of wood.

    Shimankan's hot springs are filled with the warmth of wood.

Reviews

2
  • Top Reviewer

    mizuiro_lawson Top Reviewer

    奥四万湖は見るタイミングよって湖面の色が違います。
    四万ブルーもいろいろ。

  • Mimi Chang

    溫泉聖地~為泡湯的最佳地方。

Details

Name in Japanese
四万温泉
Postal Code
377-0601
Address
Shima, Nakanojomachi, Agatsumagun, Gunma
Telephone
0279-64-2321(Shiman Onsen Association)
Closed
Depend on facilities
Hours
Free to stroll around the hot spring resort (depending on the facility)
Admission
Depend on facilities
Directions
1) 40 minutes by bus from Nakanojo Station on the JR Joetsu Line
2) 1 hour drive from the Shibukawa-Ikaho IC of the Kanetsu Expressway
Official Website
Official Website (English)