Comedian Koji Abe announced on December 23rd that he has purchased the closed ``Momozawa Onsen'' (Momozawa, Hirosaki City).

Momozawa Onsen is a day-trip hot spring facility located near Iwakiyama Shrine that uses free-flowing natural hot springs. It was a public bath that was visited not only by local residents but also by tourists, but it had been closed since September of this year. The closure was due to aging facilities and a lack of manpower, and there was no prospect of reopening.

Abe is a comedian affiliated with Yoshimoto Kogyo and lives in Tokyo. Currently, he has been the MC for Aomori Asahi Broadcasting's information program ``Dreams Live From Here Happy'' for 11 years, and visits Aomori every week. According to Abe, he thought about what he could do for Aomori in his own way, and thought about creating a place where people could gather by doing something interesting.

"There are many hot springs and public baths in Aomori, and I have more opportunities to go there.I was thinking about creating a place in a hot spring area, and I was looking for a place even before the coronavirus, but when I learned that Hyakuzawa Onsen was closed, I directly contacted the former management company, "I called Okay Seika. When I found out they were thinking of selling it, they immediately came forward to buy it," Abe said.

Abe took a preliminary look in October and purchased it in early December. ``My wife also understands,'' he said. The facility is a two-story building with facilities such as guest rooms, a large hall, and a family bath. Abe enthusiastically says, ``It's a place where dreams can unfold.First, I want to renovate the public bath and reopen it.''

Public baths are scheduled to reopen next spring. The person in charge of the actual renovation and management is OGA, a comedian who moved to Aomori from Ehime. He lives in Momozawa Onsen and is involved in its management as Abe-san's right-hand man. Abe says with a smile, ``I want to make it a place where local residents can get involved and have fun.''