Hanesawa Onsen

Hanesawa Onsen is located among the mountains approximately 30 minutes by car from JR Shinjo Station. It is a quiet hot spring surrounded by virgin forest. You will be wrapped in an atmosphere that seems to have taken you back to the countryside somewhere with its snug and traditional appearance. The hot spring is one of the few geysers in Tohoku with a weak alkaline quality. The hot water has a thickness that is said to be the best in Japan. There are even visitors who say it is thanks to this thickness that their skin becomes so shiny they don't need facial lotions. 
If you visit Hanesawa Onsen, we definitely want you to visit Kosugi no Osugi. This is a large cedar tree that has been loved by villagers since long ago. It became famous due to it resembling the shape of Totoro from the movie My Neighbor Totoro. The two branches at the top look like ears and the tree spreads out the closer it gets to the ground - a shape that is like that of a plump stomach. This means it looks like Totoro no matter where you look at it from. The tree is said to be 1,000 years old. Its root circumference is 6.3 meters and its height is approximately 20 meters. The mountain god is enshrined at its roots. It is referred to as a tree for marriage and children. It is also known as a hidden location thought to be flowing with mystical energy.