Ikaho Onsen

Ikaho Onsen has a documented history stretching back to around 759 CE, when it was mentioned in the Man'yoshu, Japan's oldest surviving poetry anthology. The town is known for two types of spring water: Kogane no Yu ('golden water'), an iron-rich, calcium-sodium-sulfate/bicarbonate/chloride spring that turns amber-brown as it oxidizes on contact with air, and a clear 'silver water.' Its symbol is a stone staircase running through the town, originally 315 steps and expanded to 365 in 2010 — one for each day of the year — now lined with ryokan, shops, and cafes.