Yumura Onsen (Hyogo)

Yumura Onsen (湯村温泉) is a small village located in Shin'onsen town in Mikata District, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. As of 2011, Yumura township had a population of 1,206, and its surrounding area (known as Onsen) had a total population of 6,454. Local legend states that the town’s hot springs (onsen) were uncovered in AD848 by the priest Jikaku Daishi. The town is said to have been inhabited since this time, and the local temple is claimed to have been built soon after the discovery of the hot springs.

Here is one of the major geosites of San'in Kaigan Global Geopark.

Like most towns in northern Hyogo Prefecture, Yumura experiences disparate seasonal weather. Summers are typically very hot and humid (with an average daily high of 23.3 °C), while winter brings cold temperatures (an average daily high of 5.3 °C) and much snow.

The name 'Yumura' literally means 'hot spring village', and the hot springs play an important role in the town. Yumura's hot springs have an unusually high temperature of 98 °C, and generate most of the town's tourism. Tourists flock to the hot springs in weekends to boil eggs (onsen tamago), corn, and sweet potato in the boiling water and to enjoy soaking in the hot spring baths. In the past the townsfolk used the hot springs for much of their daily cooking. While most people do not use it as frequently now, many people still cook bamboo, vegetables and mountain herbs in the hot springs' water.

While its popularity with tourists has been declining of late, the town has long been popular with tourists from the local Kansai area. Yumura became well-known after it was the setting for Yumechiyo-nikki (Yumechiyo’s Dairy) – a fictional television drama starring Sayuri Yoshinaga as geisha Yumechiyo, a Hiroshima atomic bomb survivor. The movie and television show were filmed at various locations within the town, and aired in the 1980s. In 2001 the town opened its newly renovated town centre, which included a statue of Yumechiyo near a former filming location. A museum also opened, and currently displays various props and costumes used in the show, and replicates some of the more well-known sets. Because of the show, Yumura has a connection with Hiroshima, and strings of paper cranes (sembazuru) folded by locals and tourists are regularly sent to Hiroshima.

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Wikipedia