Opqr, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

粟津温泉 is Hokuriku's oldest hot spring, opened in 718 by the Buddhist priest Taicho Daishi, founder of Mount Hakusan worship, who by tradition was directed in meditation to dig for water to heal the sick. Ryokan here run their own private source wells rather than a shared town supply, so the water varies inn to inn; the town's own claim is a smooth, colourless 'beauty bath'. Hōshi, the ryokan built to run the spring, has operated on the same family line since 718 and is recorded as one of the world's oldest continuously run hotels. At the edge of the town, Osshobe Park carries the Edo-period Osshobe love story — a maid named O-Sue and a man named Takematsu whose romance survived hardship — and a 'Bell of Happiness' monument, on the strength of which the tourism association registered Awazu as Ishikawa's first certified 'Lovers' Sanctuary'.

Best season

Year-round

Crowd level

Hidden gem

Admission

Free to walk. The communal bathhouse Sōyu (総湯) charges its own admission: ¥500 adult, ¥150 elementary-school age, ¥70 infant.

Nearest station

Awazu Station (JR Hokuriku Main Line) · ~10 min by car, or JR Komatsu Station · ~30 min by regional bus

Website

komatsuguide.jp/feature/awazuonsen

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