[Access] About 15 minutes by car from Rishiri Airport
[Webpage] Rishiri Fureai Onsen (Japanese)

For my first visit to Rishiri Island, I planned to stay for several days, so I wanted to choose a hotel with a hot spring. While researching, I learned that there is only one ryokan on Rishiri and Rebun Islands that offers 100% free-flowing hot spring water, and that this spring is considered one of the finest bicarbonate springs in Japan. With that, staying at Hotel Rishiri was an easy decision.

There are two indoor baths. The round one is called Reihō no Shizuku (Cool and Refreshing Bath). Its source temperature is 33.8°C, and to preserve the natural qualities of the spring, it is used as a free-flowing cold spring without heating. Since it was summer, this lukewarm bath felt incredibly pleasant. After soaking for a while, my body gradually warmed up from the inside. In fact, whenever I stepped out after a long soak here, I felt pleasantly warm and extremely sleepy—it really seemed to work well for me.

The other bath, Taiko no Nukumori (Golden Hot Bath), uses the same source water but is heated and set to a fairly high temperature. Alternating between this hot bath and the cool source bath made for a wonderful and relaxing experience. Rishiri Onsen is classified as a carbon dioxide–rich sodium chloride–bicarbonate spring, with a very high mineral content of 12,390 mg/kg. What makes it especially fascinating is that, as seen in the photos, sparkling calcium crystals form on the surface of the water, and sharp mineral deposits densely cover the walls of the tub. Given its coastal location, the salt content is easy to imagine, but the water also contains a wide variety of minerals such as calcium and magnesium.

At the source, the water is colorless and transparent. Near the spout, there is a faint metallic scent, and due to its high iron content, the water turns a tea-brown color once exposed to air.

The open-air bath sits right by the sea. The walls are low, and it feels almost completely open to the ocean—but that openness is exactly what makes the view so spectacular. Right in front of the bath, locals were drying kombu seaweed on the beach, creating a peaceful and laid-back scene.

That said, this wonderful hot spring also comes with an interesting behind-the-scenes story.

At the hotel, I had the chance to listen to a local nature guide, who explained that Rishiri Island is divided into two towns—Rishiri Town and Rishirifuji Town—due to various historical and political reasons. Apparently, the two towns are somewhat conscious of each other even when it comes to hot springs. As mentioned earlier, Hotel Rishiri in Rishiri Town is the only place offering a free-flowing hot spring, but in fact, hot springs were first developed earlier on the Rishirifuji Town side. Because of that, Rishiri Town felt they were lagging behind.

So when hot spring water finally gushed forth here, the town welcomed it enthusiastically. With the excellent water quality and the construction of an open-air bath, the discovery caused quite a stir around 2005. At Rishiri Fureai Onsen, copies of newspaper articles from that time are displayed, and it’s clear that this hot spring has become a point of pride for the local community.