Chiba Shisui Town
Open-air baths facing Mount Fuji, and natural onsen water with iodine fed straight from the source
Shisui Onsen Yura no Sato is a day-visit onsen bathhouse in Shisui, Inba District, Chiba Prefecture. Nothing blocks the view from the tubs set high up in the open air, and on clear days Mount Fuji rises in the far distance. The water, drawn from deep underground, is a dense, strongly saline spring rich in iodine. So salty it tastes briny on the lips, it forms a thin film on the skin and holds its heat even after you get out, which is why it is also called a “bath of heat.” The tubs on the high ground are filled with water poured straight from the source, so you can give yourself over to very fresh water. There is a reclining bath where you lie back gazing at the sky and a strongly carbonated bath indoors, and in the sauna room aromatic steam rises at set times. It also makes a pleasant stop on the way home from shopping.
Natural onsen water filling the open-air baths with their fine view and the indoor baths. What rises from deep underground is a dense, strongly saline spring rich in iodine; it feels thick and heavy against the skin and seals in the heat as if wrapping you in a thin film. The tubs set high up are filled with water poured straight from the source, so you can give yourself over to fresh water flowing constantly from the spout. There is also a reclining bath where you soak gazing at the sky, letting you savor the water, and the view with it, as you shift position.
A strongly carbonated bath set among the indoor baths. As you lie still in the lukewarm water, fine bubbles cling to your skin one after another, and before long your whole body takes on a faint flush. Though it never feels hot, warmth rises from within, and you can feel the blood flowing all the way to your fingertips. Because it warms you without straining the body, it is also a pleasant place to catch your breath between the sauna and the baths.
A löyly sauna where, at set times, aroma water is poured over the hot sauna stones and scented steam rises with a hiss. The dry air thickens in an instant, and the heat spreads as if crawling over your skin. By the time the steam subsides, sweat is pouring from your whole body, washing away the heaviness that had settled deep inside. It is a room where even the waiting is a pleasure.
A cold plunge that quietly calms the heat stirred up in the sauna. Lower yourself in slowly from the tips of your hands and feet, and the flush recedes like an ebbing tide, leaving only a crisp, clear film on the surface of the skin. Once your breathing has settled, step out to the open-air baths on the high ground, where the wind strokes your wet skin beneath an open sky. The real joy here is sinking into a chair while gazing at the ridgeline of Mount Fuji.
Open Year-Round
Anyone with tattoos, including tattoo stickers, is strictly refused entry.
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Chiba
A superb resort with a natural onsen fed straight from the source, never recirculated, and views of planes soaring across the sky
