In our last blog, we have talked about the end-of-year Japanese traditions of ancestor worship. We made a brief introduction to Kinzou Takimoto – the discoverer of Noboribetsu Onsen and founder of Dai-ichi Takimotokan. As year 2016 begins, this year will mark the 158th year anniversary since Kinzou built his very first hot bath, sourcing directly from Noboribetsu Onsen.

One might wonder why a man, born and raised in Saitama, would have travelled to Hokkaido to build a hot bath. There is in fact quite a romantic story behind all this.

Sata, Kinzou’s wife, had a bad case of skin disease at the time. The couple looked everywhere for a cure, but in vain. Not until Kinzou was dispatched to explore the Ezo region of Hokkaido, he happened to hear about the undiscovered Noboribetsu Onsen and its outstanding effect of treating various skin conditions. He then travelled deep into the mountains and uncovered the origin of Noboribetsu Onsen, which eventually cured Sata of her skin disease. It is the hope to enable more people to recover from similar conditions that put the building of Dai-ichi Takimotokan in motion.

To keep this important part of history alive, we have since built the “Bath of Kinzou” that resembles the surroundings of how the original bath would have looked like when it was first seen by Sata. Our guests shall enjoy this open-air bath any time of the day, while remembering the lovely tale of the Takimoto couple. Even till today, our all-natural bath continues the legend of treating a wide range of diseases.

Kinzou would be happy to know that Noboribetsu Onsen now welcomes guests from all around the globe, though it all started from the love of a single man for his dear wife.