Hyotan Onsen
Hyotan Onsen (ひょうたん温泉) is a large ''onsen'' bathing facility located in Beppu Onsen#Kannawa_Onsen, Kannawa, Beppu, Ōita Prefecture. Opened in 1922, Hyotan Onsen is notable for being the only ''onsen'' facility in Japan to have received three Michelin Guide, Michelin Stars from Michelin Green Guides Japan. History It is said that Hyotan Onsen's founder, Junsaku, dug out the ''onsen'' in the geothermally active Beppu Onsen, ''Beppu Hatto'' area so that the spring could help heal his wife's rheumatism. The first bath was created with stones in the shape of a calabash, gourd (''hyōtan'' in Japanese), giving the ''onsen'' its name. The original gourd-shaped stone bath still exists in the women's bathing area. Junsaku chose the shape because Toyotomi Hideyoshi, the 16th century samurai ''daimyo'' whom he admired, used the shape of a gourd on his flags. In 1927, an 18-meter-high, seven-story observation deck was constructed in the shape of a gourd. It remained until 194 ...
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