Hot springs in Nagayu

Nagayu Onsen is a compact hot spring settlement tucked into the mountains of Taketa City, in central Oita Prefecture. The springs hold the highest concentration of dissolved carbon dioxide found in any thermal spring in Japan. Bathers entering the water notice fine bubbles gathering across their skin almost immediately, and this carbonation defines the experience here more than anything else. The town maintains a sister-city partnership with Bad Krozingen in Germany, a spa community with a similarly long therapeutic tradition.