Kazawa Onsen

Naturally carbonated spring in Gunma Prefecture, unusually rare among the region's hot springs, with magnesium and sodium bicarbonate giving the water its circulation and skin benefits. The water emerges at 47.5 degrees Celsius and requires no further heating or cooling before filling the baths. A fire destroyed most of the town in 1918, leaving only the historic Koyokan Inn standing. The rebuilt town opened its first three inns the following year and has operated continuously since. A 12-kilometer trail from the nearby city of Tomi to the old spring source is lined with 100 Kannon statues placed one every 109 meters, most carved between 1864 and 1873 by a single stonemason.