Yunotsu Onsen

Yunotsu Onsen flourished as a silver shipping port for the Iwami Ginzan Silver Mine in the late 16th century. The hot springs have long soothed miners and bathers seeking healing.

The town’s layout has remained unchanged since the Edo period, and buildings from the Edo, Taisho, Meiji, and Showa eras line the streets. Yunotsu Onsen is the only hot spring area in Japan that has been designated as an Important Preservation District for Groups of Traditional Buildings. It is also a cultural heritage site that forms part of the UNESCO World Heritage listing for the "Iwami Ginzan Silver Mine and its Cultural Landscape."

In the Yunotsu Onsen town, you can enjoy public baths as well. The chloride-rich hot spring water has excellent heat-retention and moisturizing properties and is rich in minerals. It is said to have various beneficial effects. Staying at a hot spring inn and soaking in the baths while relaxing is also recommended.

Yunotsu is also known as a pottery town. At the "Yunotsu Pottery Village and Kiln Museum," which features one of Japan's largest climbing kilns, you can experience pottery making. At Ryuguzen Shrine, you can watch performances of Iwami Kagura, a traditional performing art from the Iwami region. Near Yunotsu Station, at the "Kobayashi Workshop," you can even try painting a Kagura mask. Enjoy a stroll through the charming streets of Yunotsu.