Don’t you want to stop by footbath or hand-bath for a short break when you are driving along the Sea of Japan in southern Hokkaido? Midorimachi Onsen footbath “Yuttari” in Otobe Town is not only free, but also it is a unique facility, clean, well-managed, and uses onsen water flowing directly from the hot spring source.

Midorimachi Onsen footbath “Yuttari” is located in front of Elderly Communication Center near the center of Otobe Town. It’s two to three minutes drive from National Route 229 which connects Esashi Town and Setana Town. 

 
▲It has the iconic red roof. People can visit and use the bath from mid-April to late October. 

 
▲People can enjoy the bath even on a rainy day because it has a roof! 

 

You can enjoy three kinds of bath: hand, foot, and walking!

The facility is pretty interesting. 
The spout which is the source of plenty of hot water. This is a space to enjoy hand-bath. 

 
▲I felt the nice temperature of the water when I put my hands. 


The water from hand-bath goes down to the footbath area. 

 
▲From hand-bath on the top to the footbath on the bottom. It’s a nice re-use of onsen water. 


People can sit on benches to enjoy the bath at the L-shaped footbath area, which is the main area in this bath. The space has two sources of water, one from the hand-bath and one from the other. Another space is footbath area for wheelchairs. People can stop by the side of this facility and enjoy the footbath on wheelchairs. 

 
▲The footbath area. The hand-bath is on the top-right, and wheelchair footbath area is on the top-left. 


The water flowed from footbath area goes out of the facility through a step-like path. In fact, there is another trick here! 

 
▲People can enjoy the bath as they walk with the water flowed out from the footbath space! 


People can enjoy three baths in a single hot spring source. Three good things come in one stroke! 

 

The water is real; the onsen water flows directly from the hot spring source! 

The brownish water is really a good quality onsen. 
According to the onsen component sheet at the facility, the water is sodium-salt sulfate and chloride spring. The temperature of water source is 68.2 degrees, and 173 liters flow per minute. 
The onsen water flows directly from the hot spring source, and it’s not heated because the water is hot enough and the amount is plenty! The quality of water is too good for just hand and footbath! 

 
▲My feet became so warm after a while. 


The temperature of the water in footbath seems like to be around 42 degrees. It felt hot at first, but it gradually felt nice as I soaked for a while. 

 

The perfect place for a short break during the road trip in southern Hokkaido area! 

When I got out, my skin around feet became very smooth, and they were warm for a while. I could freshen my swollen feet from a long drive.
The facility was clean and well-managed. I could use without feeling any stress. I think it is a perfect place for a short break during the road trip along the Sea of Japan in southern Hokkaido. 

Text, photo / Hokkaido Likers photo writer nobu Kawashima
http://www.no-1-travel.com/