Shikoku · Takamatsu
We went to the Setouchi Triennale, held once every three years.
The Setouchi Triennale is an international contemporary art festival staged on the islands of the Seto Inland Sea, and most visitors likely use Takamatsu Station and Takamatsu Port as their base for reaching the festival’s venues.
Busshozan
The Busshozan Onsen we’re introducing here sits along the Kotohira Line (locally known as “Kotoden”), running from Takamatsu-Chikko Station, which is close to Takamatsu Port. It is the sixth stop from Takamatsu-Chikko Station, about 8 km away.
When you’re sightseeing or making the rounds of art in Takamatsu, it’s the perfect place to rest a tired body.
Busshozan Onsen
About 12 minutes on foot from Busshozan Station, a stylish-looking building appears on your right.
The hot spring
Photography is not allowed inside the bathing area, so we can’t share images, but the quality of the water was a wonderful surprise.
The moment you slip in, the water feels utterly silky and slippery. So smooth it is genuinely moving.
Note: If you visit in summer, be careful bathing on sunburned skin.
The interior is stylishly laid out too — arranged around an inner garden.
Note: Photos are available on the official website.
The temperature of the main bath sits around 42°C, right in the sweet spot, and the two outdoor baths are both low-temperature (33°C), shaped so that you can lie back and stretch out. These low-temperature baths are so wonderful that a long-soak warning is practically guaranteed.
After the bath
After a soak, you naturally want to sprawl out and rest.
There are several lounge areas inside, and with a bit of room to spare, you can usually find somewhere to relax.
August 2019 was extraordinarily hot, so we opted for kakigori (shaved ice) to cool off.
Besides food and drink, there’s a shop as well.
Plenty of lovely miscellany that tempts you as a souvenir — you might find it hard to choose.
Comfortable and stylish, both inside and out.
A hot-spring experience we thoroughly enjoyed.
Overview
Busshozan Onsen
Address: 114-5 Otsu, Busshozan-cho, Takamatsu-shi, Kagawa Prefecture 761-8079 · About 12 minutes on foot from Busshozan Station on the Kotoden line.
TEL: 087-889-7750
Hours
– Weekdays: 11:00 – 24:00
– Saturdays, Sundays, holidays: 9:00 – 24:00
Last admission: 23:00
Closed: Every fourth Tuesday of the month
Admission: Adults 600 yen (junior high school students and above), children 300 yen (age 3 and above)
Facilities: Rest area, restaurant
Bathing facilities: Indoor bath, outdoor baths (Japanese cypress and hiba) — all baths are pure flowing source water
Water quality: Sodium bicarbonate / chloride hot spring (therapeutic spring)
Under the former hot-spring name, the water is a sodium-bicarbonate spring known as “beauty water.” Please enjoy the silky feel.
Indications: neuralgia, muscle pain, joint pain, frozen shoulder, motor paralysis, joint stiffness, bruises, sprains, chronic digestive disorders, hemorrhoids, sensitivity to cold, post-illness recovery, fatigue recovery, health promotion, cuts, burns, chronic skin conditions, weak constitution in children, chronic gynecological conditions
As of August 2019.
