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Shikotsu-Tōya NP., Hokkaido
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Here, the footbath is literally a stream: water from Oyunuma, where hot springs emerge at about 130°C, cools as it flows through the forest. No heater sets the temperature—the river does.
Born in a small Taishō-era explosion, Taisho Jigoku beside the trail still has a volcanic temper: in May 2007, 97°C muddy water shot 3–5 m high and changed the color of the nearby natural footbath.
Noboribetsu carries an Ainu water clue: nupur-pet means a river clouded by hot-spring water. The name describes the milky blue-white Noboribetsu River, colored by runoff from this onsen district.
Oyunuma was once a workplace: miners floated boats on the hot pond and hauled sulfur deposits from its bottom in buckets. Mining stopped after the area became part of a national park in 1949.
The natural footbath has a storm-recycling story: trees toppled by a 2006 typhoon were reused when the riverside bathing spot was created, turning fallen timber into part of this forest-side experience.
The forest around the trail became a national Natural Monument on December 9, 1924. Hot springs and the nearby sea support distinctive warm-climate plants; about 170 kinds were recorded, though logging and wind damage reduced their variety.
