A botanical bath at an affordable price.

In the far reaches of Japan, in the city of Obihiro in Hokkaido, our sauna and hot spring-loving reporter Seiji Nakazawa was almost set to head back home to Tokyo, but before he did so, he couldn’t resist going for a soak. He struck up a conversation with some locals to find a good hot spring to visit, and he was recommended Oberiberi Hot Spring Suikoen.

▼ It turned out to be really popular.

The long-established facility, having been founded back in 1922, is a roughly 10–20-minute bus ride from Obihiro Station, or an almost 40-minute walk, so it’s not exactly easy to get to.

When Seiji arrived there he was pleased to find that there was no sense of it being run-down.

In fact, the automatic doors and the smooth wooden floors gave off a polished, modern feeling. Seiji doesn’t necessarily look for modernity in a hot spring, but the cleanliness of the building was a very welcome quality.

Seiji is well-accustomed to Tokyo’s fairly reasonably-priced super sentos—large relaxation and entertainment facilities with a variety of baths and saunas, often spread out across several floors, and which can also sometimes function as a cheap alternative to hotel accommodation—but the entrance fee to Suikoen still felt incredibly cheap.

At just 630 yen (US$3.40), including the rental fees for a face towel and bath towel, it’s at a level that would allow for daily visits. Visitors who foresee themselves returning often can even buy a book of 11 tickets for 5,000 yen.

▼ Admission is just 500 yen if you bring your own towels.

While Seiji could justify daily visits at that price, even if the baths turned out to be mediocre, he was blown away by the facilities in the bathing area. In the indoor section alone, there are large baths like the moor hot spring.

Most hot springs draw their numerous benefits from minerals within the earth. Moor hot springs function a little differently, being of a more botanical nature. Long ago, sprawling wild vegetation adorned the banks of the nearby Tokachi River, which, over vast periods of time, accumulated and formed layers of lignite. The hot spring water filters through these layers and develops into reddish-brown, tea-colored moor water, characterized by its high content of plant-derived organic matter, and the humic and fulvic acids contained within are known for being exceptionally gentle on the skin and highly moisturizing.

The baths outside are just as spacious as the ones inside, and the sauna room is also very roomy. Seiji went through the full cycle of sauna activities, starting in the sauna room, before taking a cold plunge. After that, he settled on a reclining chair outside to bask in the outside air. The person sitting in the chair next to him kept moaning in comfort and relaxation, to which Seiji might normally feel a degree of annoyance, but this time, he instead couldn’t help but feel himself agreeing: it really felt refreshingly comfortable.

The sauna room was set at about 90 degrees Celsius (194 degrees Fahrenheit), and the cold water was probably around 15 degrees Celsius (59 degrees Fahrenheit). The cold water seemed to soak into Seiji’s body, and the lack of any stinging sharpness made for a pleasant experience. On his way out, Seiji found a sign noting the name “Suikoen” originates from how the cold spring water of this area appeared to be shining.

▼ Suikoen is written with the kanji characters for “water” (水), “shine” (光), and “garden” (園), but doesn’t contain the kanji for hot/bath water (湯) that’s often featured in hot spring names.

With glimmering cold water and moisturizing hot water, the two combine to create an experience unlike anything Seiji had had before, truly a place where you can experience nature’s benefits through your skin.

Location information
Oberioberi Onsen Suikoen / オベリベリ温泉水光園
Address: Hokkaido, Obihiro-shi, Higashi 10-jo Minami, 5-chome, 6-banchi
北海道帯広市東10条南5丁目6番地
Open 11:00 a.m.–11:00 p.m.
Closed New Year’s Day
Website

Photos ©SoraNews24
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