Sakunami Onsen

"Sakunami Onsen", located about 40 minutes by car from downtown Sendai, has long been known as Sendai's "inner sanctum. Since its opening in 1796, it has been visited by many people, including cultural figures such as Shiki Masaoka.

With its skin-friendly spring water quality, abundant supply of hot water, and a variety of baths to choose from, it has become popular as a hot spring for creating beautiful women. The four inns belonging to the hot spring village offer a variety of unique baths, including an open-air bath, a natural rock bath along the clear Hirose River, a 1.3-meter-deep standing bath, and a barley stone bath.

One of the charms of Sakunami Onsen Village is its abundance of famous places. In addition to the beauty of the valleys along the upper reaches of the Hirose River, such as Houmei 48 Waterfalls, the beauty of the surrounding mountains is not to be missed. Among them is Mt. Kamakura, nicknamed "Gorilla Mountain" because it resembles a gorilla's face when viewed from certain angles.

At the Nikka Whisky Miyagikyo Distillery, visitors can tour the whiskey factory and enjoy tastings, attracting tourists from all over the world. At Sakunami Keiryu Tsuriba, located near the headwaters of the Hirose River, you can enjoy fishing for iwana (char) and yamame (landlocked salmon), and at a Kokeshi doll store in the hot spring resort area, you can try painting Sakunami Kokeshi dolls, a traditional craft, so you will never get bored of sightseeing.

Also known for the legend of the fallen Heike warriors, the Jogi Nyorai Buddha is a devotee of the local people, and visitors can enjoy the atmosphere of an old Japanese Buddhist temple.