{"id":2305,"date":"2025-09-29T08:00:23","date_gmt":"2025-09-29T15:00:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/catbradley.io\/?p=2305"},"modified":"2025-09-29T08:00:23","modified_gmt":"2025-09-29T15:00:23","slug":"one-of-the-longest-footbaths-in-japan-makes-for-an-unforgettable-hot-spring-experience%e3%80%90photos%e3%80%91","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/catbradley.io\/?p=2305","title":{"rendered":"One of the longest footbaths in Japan makes for an unforgettable hot spring experience\u3010Photos\u3011"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/p>\n

We love you, ashiyu at Yuppo no Sato<\/strong>.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span><\/p>\n

In some ways, ashiyu<\/strong> can be thought of as the mini version of Japan\u2019s hot spring<\/strong> experience. A combination of the words ashi<\/em> (\u201cfoot\u201d) and yu<\/em> (\u201chot water\u201d), ashiyu are footbaths<\/strong>, often outside and filled with natural hot spring water, where you can soak your feet to relax and rejuvenate them.<\/p>\n

When you come across an ashiyu bath, often it\u2019ll be a small setup for a half-dozen or so people, maybe off to the side of a full bathhouse or outside the central station of a hot spring town. On our recent trip to the city of Nasushiobara<\/strong> in Tochigi Prefecture<\/strong>, though, we came across Yuppo no Sato<\/strong>, which bills itself as being in \u201cthe top size-class of Japan\u201d for ashiyu.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

We\u2019re not sure if it\u2019s the absolute biggest in Japan, but we can say for sure that it\u2019s the biggest ashiyu we\u2019ve ever seen. After putting out shoes in the free-to-use storage locker near the entrance, we walked down the stairs to the reception desk<\/strong> and paid the entrance fee of 300 yen (US$2).<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Then we proceeded to the ashiyu area\u2026<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u2026and were blown away\u2026<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u2026by just how huge it is!<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

From one end to the other, Yuppo no Sato\u2019s ashiyu is 60 meters (197 feet) long<\/strong>. The gentle scent of the wood<\/strong> from the ceiling, flooring, and benches, coupled with the natural lighting and breeze from the open sections of the windows<\/strong>, made for a soothing and inviting atmosphere.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

With so much space, finding a spot to sit down was a snap. We slid our feet into the water, which is piped in straight from the natural hot spring source, with no artificial heating or dilution, and instantly felt the tension in our toes start to melt away<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

We spent the next 40 minutes alternating between admiring the view, zoning out, and reading a book we\u2019d brought along, and could have easily spent at least that much time again before becoming anywhere tired of the experience. However\u2026<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u2026looking farther down the curving corridor, it\u2019s hard not to want to keep walking in that direction and see what\u2019s down there. Thankfully, going for a stroll while keeping your feet in the water isn\u2019t just allowed, it\u2019s encouraged<\/strong>. The name \u201cYuppo\u201d is even formed from the hot-bathwater yu<\/em> and a suffix, ppo<\/em>, meaning \u201cwalk\u201d or \u201cstroll.\u201d Yupo no Sato\u2019s designers even vary the surfaces of the footbath, with six different patterns\/textures, in order to stimulate vadious pressure points and provide a foot massage-like experience as you walk<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\u25bc The bath is also designed with extra width and a divider railing in the middle, giving enough space for walkers to get by without splashing or stepping on the toes of people sitting while they soak their feet.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

When you first enter the footbath, you\u2019re actually in the mid-point of the corridor, and can proceed to either your left or right. However, the ashiyu doesn\u2019t form a complete circle. As shown in the map below, there\u2019s a pond in the middle of the almost-circular layout, and the left and right ends of the corridor don\u2019t quite meet up, so if you want to walk the entire 60-meter length, you\u2019re actually going to need to walk 120 meters total.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Speaking of the pond, ever now and then a hot spring fountain<\/strong> will shoot off in dynamic fashion.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

When we finally managed to talk ourselves into leaving Yuppo no Sato and go take care of the other things we had to do that do, we spotted one more way the facility lets you enjoy its hot spring water: drinking it<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Inside this pavilion is a tap that dispenses water from the same source as the water that goes into the bath, though, obviously, the water that comes out of this tap is just for drinking, and doesn\u2019t go into the ashiyu.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The drinking water is provided free of charge, so we grabbed a paper cup to give it a try.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Some drinkable hot spring waters have very pronounced mineral\/metallic flavors and sulfurous scents. By that metric, Yuppo no Sato\u2019s water is rather mild, but you can still tell that it\u2019s not ordinary tap or bottled water. According to a sign posted near the dispenser, this water is supposed to be effective in relieving digestive disorders and constipation, but the sign also notes that people with high blood pressure or swelling-related issues should refrain from drinking it<\/strong>, so we\u2019ll leave it up to individual travelers to decide whether or not they want to partake of a cup.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

As for Yuppo no Sato\u2019s footbath itself, though? That\u2019s something you definitely should experience for yourself if you\u2019re traveling in this part of Japan.<\/p>\n

Location information<\/strong>
\nYuppo no Sato \/ \u6e6f\u3063\u307d\u306e\u91cc
\nAddress: Tochigi-ken, Nasushiobara-shi, Shiobara 602-1
\nOpen 9 a.m.-6 p.m. (April-November), 9 a.m.-5 p.m. (December-March)
\nClosed Thursdays
\nWebsite<\/a><\/p>\n

Photos \u00a9SoraNews24<\/em>
\n\u25cf Want to hear about SoraNews24\u2019s latest articles as soon as they\u2019re published? Follow us on Facebook<\/a> and Twitter<\/a>!<\/em><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

We love you, ashiyu at Yuppo no Sato. In some ways, ashiyu can be thought of as the mini version of Japan\u2019s hot spring experience. A combination of the words…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2305","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-rss"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/catbradley.io\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2305","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/catbradley.io\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/catbradley.io\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/catbradley.io\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/catbradley.io\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2305"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/catbradley.io\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2305\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/catbradley.io\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2305"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/catbradley.io\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2305"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/catbradley.io\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2305"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}