Hello. It is Morinaga in SMO South Aomori. Does everyone like hot springs? I love it.

Especially, I love an outdoor bath wrapped in nature like this, so I liked hot springs so much that I moved to Minamioguni Town.

Speaking of Minamioguni-machi, famous is Kurokawa Onsen. Where is Kurokawa Onsen? I think that there are also many people, but it is just around this when I see it on the map.A little over Aso. It is located at the prefecture border of Oita prefecture and Kumamoto prefecture.

What is Kurokawa Onsen ...
Kurokawa Onsen (Kurokawa Oshin) is a hot spring located in Minamioguni-machi, Aso District, Kumamoto Prefecture. Located in the north of Mt. Aso, it constitutes one of Minamikogi Onsenkyo. It may be included in Aso hot spring village in a broad sense. Known as one of the most popular hot springs nationwide, it was published in the 2009 Year Michelin Green Guide · Japon as an unusual two-star as a hot spring resort. The name "Kurokawa Onsen" is registered as a regional group trademark in the 2006 year (regional brand).
※ quoted from Wikipedia

I would like to know more about Kurokawa Onsen. So I went to Kurokawa Onsen Tourist Ryokan Cooperative Association.

By the way, Kurokawa Onsen 's lodging ticket is also popular as a return to home payment.

Regional Philosophy

Kurokawa Onsen is a hot spring town surrounded by only 30 inns and lush mountains. Such Kurokawa Onsen has grown from the old days with the phrase "Kurokawa Ichikan" as the philosophy of the area.

As individual hot springs towns are regarded as "rooms" and hot-spring towns as "corridors", as each whole hot spring resort is a single inn, it is hoped that local residents will continue to make a whole Kurokawa Onsen It is packed with this philosophy to keep making it.

And the idea based on this philosophy is "competitive witness and collaboration (= compete, but the whole is done together)". Things such as various customs and equipment of individual inns and facilities, cooking materials and menu, improvement of the quality of hospitality, etc. These must refine their own proposal for each inn and stimulate each other and compete.

However, with regard to the entire Kurokawa project, we have continued to grow by creating dialogues together.

Snow clothes often seen in spa towns are using the same thing in whole Kurokawa Onsen.

The umbrellas which we rent at each inn is also the same design.

History of Kurokawa Onsen

History of such Kurokawa Onsen is like this.

● The beginning of the middle Edo period
Actually it is said that the history of Kurokawa Onsen began in the middle Edo period, and as a return camp to Hokkaido to Takeda, it was positioned as a "guest shop" directly managed by the clan's officials. Even after becoming privatized from the shrine, the name of the "guest shop" has been handed down as "a guest shop ryokan", and even now it continues to operate as a "guesthouse in history".

From that time, Kurokawa Onsen was known to the suburbs as a hot spring that works well for injuries, and the semi-agricultural half-lodging operation that is utilized at that time was continued by a small inn.

● Painful 1950 - 1985 Year
By around 1950, the number of guests in the dealer increased due to the construction of the Yamanami Highway, the opening and renovation of the inn was increased, and the ryokan management specialization advanced. Following that trend, in 1961 "Kurokawa Onsen Ryokan Association" was established.

And the Yamanami Highway opened in 1964 year. Although the number of customers has increased for several years, its benefits will cease in a few years and it will be difficult situation again. Sometimes Japan's high growth period. The advent of car society has progressed, Shikane Hot Springs, Uchaku Onsen and others reflected, but Kurokawa Onsen was in a difficult situation. Meanwhile, around the time of 1970, U turns and rituals continued one after another, and the second generation was centered around 30 generation. Although it was a Kurokawa Onsen struggling to attract customers, around 1980, I began working on creating a healing scene centered on miscellaneous trees, becoming a regional community and working on creating the atmosphere of a spa town, and it is said that customers started to increase gradually It is.

● 1986 years up to the nation's leading thermal spa areas ~ 2015 years
In the 1986 year when the outdoor bath boom started and it began to be crowded, organization reorganization of the inn of ryokan took place, and "young people", "planning team", "environmental team" and "signboard group" are established.
Born of the planning team, it is a long-seller product "bathing bills" of Kurokawa Onsen which lasts more than 30 years.

By using bills, it became a major pillar of income of the union with a mechanism that allows you to bathe 25 part of the outdoor bath (then 3 part) in Kurokawa Onsen freely.

Temporal bills are made of local Oguni cedar and are also a source of income for local aged society.

The environmental team tackles efforts to create landscapes by planting trees.

We have been planting more than 10,000 2 trees so far and have continued to care for pruning etc. In Kurokawa Onsen, it is said that predecessors decided the placement by observing branches and leaves of trees on the spot without using detailed drawings, with emphasis on diversity and irregular arrangement of the four seasons of the tree.

Before tree planting, things that were ordinary rural landscapes,

After tree planting it is like this landscape. It is arranged as if there was a miscellaneous tree there before.

The signboard group removed the signboard of the inn that was standing in the spa town, and set up a unified signboard. Initially, various signs of various ryokan were standing,

I decided to set up a collective signboard of unified color with this kind of feeling.

We also adjust the design of vending machines and signboards to create a sense of unity as a whole spa town.

As a result of these efforts, the number of visitors gradually increased, 2002 to 2003 peaked guests and customers, received numerous press releases and landscape awards, the popular hot spring resort It became a regular high ranking of the rankings.

● 2016 year when the occurrence of the Kumamoto earthquake occurred
Due to the Kumamoto earthquake in the Heisei 28 fiscal year, Kurokawa Onsen was also severely damaged with the completely destroyed 2 eaves of the inn, and as an indirect damage, 1 million 4 thousand cases were canceled in 2 months, and the total damage was about 10 billion yen It was.

At this time, it became apparent that the blow to the tourism industry has an impact on the regional industries, and from now on, various initiatives started when it is necessary to further develop the region with sightseeing as a pillar while involving various industries .

Toward the creation of a new Kurokawa Onsen

Since the disaster, at Kurokawa Onsen, we are working on content creation in cooperation with the community, in order to propose how to enjoy Kurokawa Onsen which is not only hot springs.

Morning picnic in cooperation with farmers.

It is a special experience to enjoy breakfast using local ingredients in fresh seafood made by farmers' mothers in picnic style in a magnificent view of Aso.

Other,
You can enjoy a spectacular view of Aso by riding a bicycle, as well as a cycling experience with a barbecue and hot spring bathing set.

Visit the farmers while experiencing the harvest of the vegetables they have raised, and enjoy the barbecue at the end.

Currently progressing Minamioguni-machi Farm to Table project.

We listen to the farmers and the people of the Women's Association, etc. to learn about the unique food culture in the area, and to utilize it in the food at the accommodation facility.

Kurokawa Onsen has been growing through collaboration with local communities over the years. We are trying to take a new step, so please be sure to pay attention to future Kurokawa Onsen.

Kurokawa Onsen Tourist Ryokan Cooperative Association
Address: Kumamoto Prefecture Aso County Minamioguni-machi Daiji Minenji 6594-3
Telephone number: 0967-44-0076
Official website:
https://www.kurokawaonsen.or.jp/

Accommodation at Kurokawa Onsen is also a refuge for my hometown tax payment.

<PR Planning> Minami-Oguni Town