Explanations by Spring Quality

Gentle spring water suitable for everyone / For relaxation and beautiful skin

Hot springs with less than 1,000 mg of dissolved substances (excluding gaseous substances) in 1 kg of hot spring water and a spring temperature of 25℃ or higher at the time of gush. Hot springs with a pH of 8.5 or higher are called "Alkaline simple hot springs". Because the hot spring water is not very concentrated (even so, it contains several times as much hot spring water as commercial bath additives in most cases), it does not irritate the skin and is suitable for rehabilitation and rest after surgical operations such as strokes, and is therefore also called "Hot spring for stroke", "Hot spring for gout", or "Hot spring for neuralgia". It is also called "Family hot spring" because it is safe for babies and people with delicate skin to bathe in, and is less likely to cause "Hot spring fatigue". In particular, the weakly alkaline simple hot spring (pH 7.5 or higher) and alkaline simple hot spring (pH 8.5 or higher) are called "Hot spring for beauty" because they remove dead skin cells, leaving the skin smooth and silky after bathing. The indications for each type of spring include Autonomic instability, Insomnia, and Depression, indicating that the hot spring is effective for mental health. The mild stimulation of the hot spring is one of its major features, allowing for a relaxing and leisurely bathing experience.
The "simple" in "Simple hot spring" means that the hot spring component is less than 1000 mg per 1 kg. It never means that the quality of the spring is simple. For example, the name "Simple Sulfur springs" means that the total sulfur content of the special component is above the standard value, but the word "simple" is added before "sulfur spring" if the total hot spring component (dissolved substances) is less than 1,000 mg per kilogram.
※The following is for your reference・・・The name "simple" was taken from the direct translation of "Einfaches Wasser" (simple hot spring) in a German hot spring textbook published in 1907, but since 1985 the word "simple" has been dropped in Germany and replaced with the words "hot spring" or "pure" or "unadulterated" hot spring.・・・※From "Hot Spring Encyclopedia" (Maruzen Publishing Co., Ltd.), p.294.
It is true that each hot spring area has its own unique characteristics due to the various components dissolved in "Simple hot spring". The sulfur content, the amount of metasilicicic acid, and other characteristics of the hot spring can be found in the Hot Spring Analysis Report.
As evidence to this, referring to the "Comparative Table of New and Old Spring Quality Names" of the Hot Springs Act, for example, the shortened spring quality name for "Carbon dioxide spring" is "Simple CO2 spring". The rule of writing is [symbol of element + spring]. "Simple hot spring" is the only one of the 10 spring qualities that is left blank, perhaps because the elemental symbol cannot be used (because the dissolved substance is less than 1000 mg).
"Simple hot spring" is a kind of "hot spring" that cannot be understood without looking at the balance of dissolved substances, such as cations and anions, in the Hot Spring Analysis Report. If we were to compare "Simple hot spring" to a type of bento box lunch, it would be "makunouchi bento". The ingredients vary from store to store and region to region, and there is a wide variety of side dishes. Yet it is well-balanced. The self-proclaimed hot spring writer who criticizes "Simple hot spring" by saying that "because it is a thin type of hot spring, it is less stimulating and therefore has less efficacy" needs to be told that he or she is not learned enough.
"Simple hot spring" should be named "standard hot spring" instead of "simple" because it is a hot spring for everyone and also means "all-ability". It is this type of spring that has been called "Meitou" (famous hot spring) in all ages and places. In Japan, this type of spring is one of the most common, along with Chloride springs.

• ■Old spring name・・・Simple hot spring (same as the new spring name)
• ■Color of water・・・Clear and colorless
• ■Taste & Smell・・・Basically tasteless and odorless, but both taste and smell change depending on the dissolved substances.
• ■Water texture・・・Feeling smooth, moist, etc. depending on dissolved substances. When alkalinity is strong, it feels thicker.
• ■Major hot spring inns・・・"Otaru Kourakuen" Otaru Asarigawa Onsen, Hokkaido／"Minakami Sansou" Tanigawa Onsen, Gunma Prefecture／"Kamisuwa Sinyu" Kamisuwa Onsen, Nagano Prefecture／"Oyado Dairoku" Yahiko Onsen, Niigata Prefecture／"Souan Kosumosu" Yufuin Onsen, Oiita Prefecture／"Yuuzen" Ueki Onsen, Kumamoto Prefecture
List of inns with this spring quality