Pharmacists in Oita create guidebook for drinkable spa water

February 1, 2018

Oita- Pharmacists in Oita Prefecture have compiled a guidebook introducing local fountains of drinkable spa water in the prefecture richest in Japan in "onsen" hot springs and spa water output.

The guidebook, created by the Oita Pharmaceutical Association, is intended to publicize the benefits of drinking onsen water, not only bathing in it.

The culture of drinking onsen water is not popular in Japan. In the southwestern prefecture, meanwhile, hot springs are inseparable part of people's daily lives.

Locals hope that the guidebook will help spread the culture pf drinking spa water.

The book selects 30 facilities with fountains of onsen water in the prefecture approved for drinking by authorities.

The facilities are profiled with photographs and details including water quality, taste, possible therapeutic effects and contraindications.

The book also outlines sanitary precautions and provides information on daily intake limits.

One popular spot for drinkable onsen water is the Tsukano spring in the Megusuno district of the city of Oita. The spring water is cold and has a somewhat salty and sour taste.

People who visit the spot to take home the water say they drink it daily and feel it is good for the stomach.

"I drink the water before breakfast and dinner," says Yasuko Kurahashi, a local woman. "The water improves my appetite and helps my bowel movements." She said she has maintained the habit for 10 years.

In the past, many gastric ulcer sufferers visited the spring for a "toji" hot spring cure and to drink spring water, says Katsunori Goto, who manages the spring and runs a nearby "ryokan" Japanese-style inn.

Even now, some people visit annually to show thanks for the recovery of their health to a Buddhist saint enshrined there, while others travel long distances after hearing about the good reputation of the spring.

According to Yuki Yusa, professor emeritus at Kyoto University, the supervising editor of the guidebook, many hot springs in Europe are known more for their drinkable water than for bathing opportunities.

But in Japan, drinking onsen water is not popular. Even documents on the famous Beppu hot spring resort in Oita Prefecture make no mention of the practice, Yusa says.

As the country is rich in high-quality water, its people have not developed a habit of drinking hot spring water, he speculates.

According to Yusa, a record of local natural features, culture and history compiled around the eighth century relates that "alcoholic water" gushed from near the current Tsukano spring site and that people used the water to cure skin diseases.

The record said the water had a sour taste, he added.

Some local residents said that in their childhood they were told to drink the water for health benefits. This suggests that the region may be a place where Japanese people, too, have been drinking hot spring water since ancient times. Jiji Press