In the Japanese city of Hanamaki, Iwate Prefecture, there is an unusual thermal bath where visitors bathe standing up. The reason is the depth of the pool, which reaches approximately 125 centimetres. The facility is part of the traditional Japanese Fujisan Ryokan hotel in the Namari Onsen resort area, reports the German publication Sumikai.
The bath is called “Shirosaru no Yu”, meaning “Bath of the White Monkey”, and is considered the deepest naturally fed rock thermal pool in Japan. Unlike ordinary Japanese mineral baths, where visitors sit immersed in the water, here they remain standing.
The pool is oval-shaped and carved directly into the natural rock. Hot mineral water springs from its bottom and is constantly replaced naturally. The temperature at the spring reaches around 57 degrees Celsius, but this is not the temperature of the water in which visitors bathe. According to the owners, it is not artificially heated, diluted with cold water or passed through a recirculation system.
The history of the thermal bath is linked to a curious local legend. About 600 years ago, an ancestor of the Fujii family, which runs the complex, noticed a white monkey dipping its injured limbs into a hot spring beneath a tree. Thus, according to the legend, the place was discovered and later became a popular thermal bath.
It is believed that around 1443 the family built the first structure beside the spring, and in 1786 the site began welcoming outside visitors. The hotel’s present three-storey main building was constructed in 1941 from Japanese zelkova wood and stands beside the Toyosawa River.
In February 2026, the Japanese authorities included the thermal bath and the hotel’s historic building in the national register of tangible cultural properties. In this way, the complex received official recognition for its architectural and historical significance.
Interestingly, visitors are not required to stay at the hotel to use the thermal pools. Day admission for adults is 800 yen, or approximately 4.50 euros, while children pay 600 yen, around 3.40 euros. Prices are higher during major Japanese holidays.
“Shirosaru no Yu” is a mixed-gender bath, but each day there are three special time slots reserved exclusively for women. The complex also has separate baths, as well as an option for private use.
In addition to short visits, the hotel offers traditional Japanese therapeutic stays known as “toji”. Guests spend several days near the mineral springs, staying in simple rooms with tatami mats and futons, and can prepare their own food in a shared kitchen.