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In Japan, there many places which you can visit
to take a pause from your hectic lives and find
a moment of tranquility. Travelers to Japan is
fortunate that this beautiful country is full of
traditional ryokan which will remove all your
tension from your travel and introduce you to
places of fragile beauty and luxurious peace
whereby
most of the popular ryokan were onsen ryokan.
Onsen ryokan are traditional inns that are
located very near to natural springs and has the
ability to offer guests the joys of a great spa.
One of these famous onsen ryokan is the
Mukaitaki. The buildings of Mukaitaki are itself
a grand attraction as they are registered as the
tangible cultural property of Japan. The spas of Mukaitaki, meaning facing
a waterfall in Japanese, are obtained from the
Higashiyama Onsen which was first discovered by
Gyoki in the 740s. Gyoki was a great Buddhist
priest and spiritual leader who have been able
to put many of Japan's famous hot springs on the
map.
 Mukaitaki was built
in 1873 and was known as the Fox Spa because
this smart creature was the first to have found
its healing ability. Because of this medicinal
characteristic of the waters here, the Aizu
clansmen made this health retreat as the site
for them to recover from their battle wounds.
Even former Prime Minister Tanaka Kakuei
regarded this onsen ryokan as one of his
favorites. To get to this place is not at all
difficult. If you coming from Tokyo, travel in
the Shinkansen and express train whereby the
trip with take less than three hours. If you are
sightseeing at the famous attraction of Tsuruga
Castle in
Photo: Hot Japanese baths
Aizu-Wakamatsu, then your dream spa
destination is only ten minutes away. Or if you
are staying at Mukaitaki, you must make a point
to visit this incredible tourist attraction.
Known as the Castle of the Crane, it is a
reconstruction of the original fortress built by
the Ashina clan in the mid 1380s and was
originally known as the Kurokawa Castle. Tourists will
appreciate the beauty of its interior which
houses a museum showcasing Buddhist statues,
ceramics and crafts produced locally and also
the Aizu nuri, a famous local lacquerware. A
breathtaking scenery of the whole Aizu valley
can be seen from the top of this castle.
Mukaitaki is very
well known for its landscaped gardens. This
popular hot spring destination in Japan is owned
by the Hirata family since the 1870s and has
been preserved so spectacularly that the wooden
buildings are even listed on the national
registry. Visitors staying here will be
surprised by the interesting carving of wooden
transom, the hand-painted sliding doors and
latticed shoji-papered windows. You will be
further pampered by the excellent food served
here which include carp stewed in sweet soy
sauce, herring and even horsemeat. The dining
room overlooks the beautiful garden which is
lighted brightly lit during the night. The more
popular rooms here include the Nadeshiko Room
and the Momji Room which has some of the best
views you will ever see. However,
the main attraction here at Mukaitaki is its
natural hot springs whereby the waters is
believed to have sodium hydrosulfide, chloride
and hypo-tonic alkaline which is known to cure
rheumatism, stomach and skin disease, and
arterial sclerosis. The stylish marble baths of
the men's Monkey Spa feature a relief of a
graceful bather which is exactly your feelings
after a good soak in these soothing waters since
the hot, 1100F waters is guaranteed
to sooth your aching muscles and soften your
overused skin. For guests who prefer a bit of
privacy, there are four kazokuburo, small
private baths, available to them upon request.
This famous destination spa is one of the best
places to get a superb hot natural spring
bathing in Japan.
Located at :
Higashiyama-cho,
Aizu-Wakamatsu-shi,
Fukushima-ken
965-0814,
Japan.
Telephone :
81 (0)242 27 7501
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