is a hot spring resort located approximately 16 kilometers west of the city centre 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 near the source and built along the shores of the Arakawa River, at the foot of Mt. Azuma.

Water

The majority of Tsuchiyu's hot spring water comes out of the ground as steam at approximately 150 °C then is then piped two kilometers to Tsuchiyu's hotels. The water is largely colorless and clear, has faint traces of

sulfur Sulfur ( American spelling and the preferred IUPAC name) or sulphur ( Commonwealth spelling) is a chemical element; it has symbol S and atomic number 16. It is abundant, multivalent and nonmetallic. Under normal conditions, sulfur atoms ...

, and has a pH of 6.5. Some hotels receive their water from a separate source, leading to some hotels using water containing

sodium bicarbonate Sodium bicarbonate ( IUPAC name: sodium hydrogencarbonate), commonly known as baking soda or bicarbonate of soda (or simply “bicarb” especially in the UK) is a chemical compound with the formula NaHCO3. It is a salt composed of a sodium cat ...

or higher levels of sulfur.

Facilities

There are multiple '' ryokan'' and hotels in the area for guests to stay the night, along with four free '' ashiyu'' foot baths placed throughout the area.

Kokeshi dolls

In the mid-19th century artisans in Tsuchiyu began producing wooden '' kokeshi'' dolls unique to the area. As Tsuchiyu lies at the mountains foot of Mt. Azuma, in the mid-19th century the route to Tsuchiyu was impassible for around four months a year due to heavy snow. Local craftsmen began to produce kokeshi dolls as a way to make extra money to make up for the lack of guests during these slow periods. Tsuchiyu kokeshi are distinguishable from other kokeshi due to have a smaller head, two black concentric circles on the top of the head, a small mouth, a rounded nose, a red ribbon painted on the hair, a thin body, and colored strips painted on the body using a potter's wheel.

Notes

External links

{{Commons category-inline, Tsuchiyu Onsen
Tsuchiyu Onsen Tourism Association Official Site
Hot springs of Fukushima Prefecture Tourist attractions in Fukushima Prefecture Spa towns in Japan Fukushima (city)