is a hot spring resort in the Zainiwasaka district of the city of

Fukushima, Fukushima is the capital Cities of Japan, city of Fukushima Prefecture, Japan. It is located in the northern part of the Nakadōri, central region of the prefecture. , the city had an estimated population of 275,850 in 122,130 households and a population ...

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

. It is in the mountains about 14 km west of Fukushima Station.

Description

Takayu Onsen is halfway up the slopes of Mount Azuma, near the entrance to the Bandai-Azuma Skyline sightseeing road, due west of the centre of Fukushima city. The thermal springs were originally developed 400 years ago in the

Sengoku period The was the period in History of Japan, Japanese history in which civil wars and social upheavals took place almost continuously in the 15th and 16th centuries. The Kyōtoku incident (1454), Ōnin War (1467), or (1493) are generally chosen as th ...

. The onsen town has approximately 12

ryokan A is a type of traditional Japanese inn that typically features ''tatami''-matted rooms, communal baths, and other public areas where visitors may wear nemaki and talk with the owner. Ryokan have existed since the eighth century A.D. du ...

. The soaking pools and baths are open to guests using the lodging as well as non-staying guests (who pay a small fee for use of the bathhouses.) The historic ''Tamagoyu'' bathhouse, is the most well-known. It consists of a small wooden bathhouse with separate soaking pools for each gender. The ''Attaka no Yu'' bathhouse is public, rather than private. In the center of town there is a free outdoor foot bath.

Water profile

The hot mineral water issues from ten spring sources distributed around the onsen town. The water has high levels of

hydrogen sulfide Hydrogen sulfide is a chemical compound with the formula . It is a colorless chalcogen-hydride gas, and is toxic, corrosive, and flammable. Trace amounts in ambient atmosphere have a characteristic foul odor of rotten eggs. Swedish chemist ...

, and is considered to be strongly acidic. These qualities affect the clarity of the water, which is tinged a slightly milky blue color. The hydrogen sulphide gas gives the springs a "rotten egg" odor. Several of the local ryokans pipe the water in its unadulterated state into their soaking pools and baths to maintain the integrity of the source.

Access

By car

From the east, Takayu can be reached from Fukushima, taking Fukushima Prefectural Route 70 west. Access from the west is via the Bandai-Azuma Skyline (a toll-free road).

By bus

Fukushima Transportation buses to Takayu leave from the east exit of Fukushima Station and terminate at .福島駅東口　ばすげっと
'. Retrieved on May 12, 2009.

References

{{Authority control Hot springs of Fukushima Prefecture Tourist attractions in Fukushima Prefecture Spa towns in Japan Fukushima (city)