Smoother skin at the nation’s leading alkaline hot spring
Kimita Onsen is located within Forest Kimita, a roadside station down the Kannose Gorge surrounded by magnificent Mother Nature at the northern end of Hiroshima Prefecture. Among the prefectural hot springs, Kimita Onsen has the unique quality of having an alkaline hot spring whose milky-white waters are effective for skin ailments. Since the onsen uses just the source spring, one interesting feature at Kimita is the change in the depth of color depending on the day. The large garden and the surrounding mountains can be seen from the open-air bath, and within the openness of Mother Nature, you can soak in leisurely relaxation. Besides the indoor baths, you can also enjoy many other types of baths such as taking one in a large pot-shaped tub, waterfall baths, foam baths and pressure baths. And although there are facilities for a day-trip soak, there are also accommodations available.
A roadside station where you can purchase specialty goods of Kimita
A roadside station provides relaxation facilities and a store dealing in products from the immediate region. Forest Kimita consists of 4 such facilities: Kimita Onsen Mori-no-Izumi, Fureai Kan, Nagomi Kan and Mori-no-Shokuzaikan. Inside Fureai Kan, there is Ohayo Ichi (Good Morning Market) which sells fresh foods selected on that day, and is popular for specialties such as tofu, mochi and cookies using local ingredients.
Numerous highlights nearby such as an art museum and a museum
The Kannose Gorge Prefectural Nature Park which has the spectacular Kannose Gorge, Narugataki Falls and Koiori Falls boasts the largest park space in Hiroshima Prefecture with 2736ha. At the Origami Museum which was converted from a once-abandoned elementary school, there are approximately 150 exhibits of origami which include anime characters, a traditional 5-tier display of dolls and a steam engine created by the museum curator who was recognized by Miyoshi City as an Original Origami Master. The Michio Hara Art Museum which permanently displays about 300 of the works of Hiroshima artist Michio Hara has garnered popularity for his distinct paintings with the theme of the warmth of home. It is an area which is rich in places to see besides the onsen.