Furuyu Onsen is nestled beside the Kasegawa River in Fuji, Saga and is said to have been discovered by Xu Fu, who travelled to the area around 2100 years ago in search of the elixir of life for Qin Shi Huang, First Emperor of the Qin dynasty. Legend has it that Xu Fu discovered Furuyu Onsen through divine prophecy. After that, the hot spring was buried under flood waters, but is said to have been rediscovered in 1791 when the villagers saw a crane soothing its injured foot and began digging in the hope of finding a hot spring.The attractiveness of Furuyu Onsen is owed to the rustic atmosphere of the town and calming natural surrounds. It has attracted not only those seeking its medicinal value, but also many artists such as Shigeru Aoki and Mokichi Saito. Mokichi in particular stayed here for three weeks in 1920, during which time he wrote 38 poems. One of these 38 poems can be seen today carved into a rock in the garden of the Kakureisen inn. The water of Furuyu Onsen is slightly thick, colorless, odorless and tasteless, and is around 35.4 to 43.6 degrees C in temperature. It is an alkaline simple hot spring and is popular due to being particularly beneficial for joint pain.
Kumanokawa Onsen a small hot spring village also located in the town of Fuji, Saga city, slightly downstream from Furuyu Onsen. This hot spring is said to have been discovered in 821 by Kukai when he was travelling around Japan on foot and saw a water bird bathing here.
This onsen is a simple, low-radium spring containing sodium carbonate, magnesium, emanation and so on. It is one of the few hot springs in Kyushu to contain such a high amount of radon. Kumanokawa Onsen is said to be beneficial towards rheumatism, gout and poison extraction. Drinking the hot spring water is also said to be beneficial for diabetes. The temperature of the water is 24.5 to 38.7 degrees C. The water has a slightly thick consistency and you may feel as though you could soak in here for hours. The sensation of the water's silky caress is hard to describe in words and will leave your skin feeling soft and smooth.
