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Nikko NP, Tochigi
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Local legend says hunter Kanō Saburō Yukihiro followed an arrow-wounded white deer to this spring around 629, inspiring 鹿の湯 (“Deer Hot Spring”). Nasu Town distinguishes the tale from the first written mention of Nasu Onsen, in 738.
At the Yumoto springhead, 800 liters of water gush out each minute at 68°C. Nasu Town designated the source—not just the bathhouse—as a natural monument in 1960.
The baths step up through 41, 42, 43, 44, 46 and 48°C; the women’s side goes up to 46°C. Choosing a temperature is part of the distinctive bathing experience here.
Before bathing, the traditional “kaburi-yu” ritual uses a ladle to pour hot water over the back of the head 100–300 times. Bathers then take short dips with rests—a local approach to the hot spring’s intense heat.
The hot-spring settlement once stretched along the Yu River. A rain-triggered landslide on June 14, 1858 devastated the area, and the spa district moved uphill to its present location.
In 1689, Matsuo Bashō and his companion Sora spent 2 nights in Yumoto during their journey along Oku no Hosomichi. Local records preserve details of their stay in the village that is home to 鹿の湯.
In the past, a 湯長 (yu-chō), or bath leader, called out when it was time for bathers to enter and leave. The role gave 鹿の湯’s timed-bathing tradition a distinctly communal touch.
