Naruko Onsen

What it is

• A hot spring resort in Osaki City located within Kurikoma Quasi-National Park.
• A designated National Health Resort Hot Spring featuring seven different types of mineral water.
• A major production center for traditional Naruko kokeshi dolls and lacquerware.
• The location of Japan's first domestically designed arch-shaped concrete dam.

What to see

• The Taki-no-yu communal bath which provides sacred water for the local shrine.
• Waseda Sajikiyu bathhouse built using a water source discovered by university students.
• The Naruko Dam, a pioneering arch-shaped concrete structure in the region.
• Local workshops producing traditional kokeshi dolls and historic lacquerware crafts.

When to go

• The National Kokeshi Festival is held annually during the month of September.

Getting there

• The town is accessible via Naruko Onsen Station on the JR Rikuu East Line.

Notes written by Japan Gems from facts in Japanese Wikipedia.