Kannawa Medicinal Springs

By 1885, Kannawa was already drawing about 3,000 visitors a year for medicinal bathing, mostly farmers coming to rest after harvest season. The village had 34 lodging facilities among just 139 total buildings. In the early 20th century, entrepreneur Senju Yoshihiko purchased the land around Umi Jigoku with plans to pipe its water to local inns, but his land manager had a simpler idea: charge visitors a small fee to see the bubbling springs themselves. That shift in thinking transformed a pool of scalding water once considered a dangerous nuisance into the foundation of Kannawa's identity as a hot spring destination.