On May 21st, a talk event "Onsen mania gather to express their love for Aomori's hot springs" hosted by "Aomori no Yukko Association" was held at Aomori Prefectural Tourism and Products Center Aspam (1 Yasukata, Aomori City).

At this event, four hot spring enthusiasts from outside the prefecture talked about the charm of hot springs in Aomori Prefecture. The Aomori no Yukko Association is a group of hot spring enthusiasts started by Mariko Kutsukake, who was born in Itayanagi, Aomori, and now lives in Kagoshima. Kutsukake said, "In the last two to three years, there have been conspicuous closures and closures of hot spring facilities in the prefecture, partly due to the corona crisis.

At the beginning, Mr. Kutsukake introduced that Aomori Prefecture is a top-class hot spring prefecture, ranking fourth in Japan for the total amount of hot spring water output. pointed out that it is not. “Some hot springs that only locals know about are actually well-known among hot spring fans nationwide,” says Kutsukake.

The three speakers were Mr. Katsunari Asanuma of the Tohoku Onsen Club, Mr. Yasushi Ishii of the Beppu Hatto Onsen Master Association who lives in Ibaraki, and Mr. Yoshikazu Honda, a hot spring sommelier who lives in Saitama. Each introduced the charm of Aomori's hot springs and their own favorite hot springs, and excited the venue.

According to Mr. Kutsukake, one of the characteristics of hot springs in Aomori is that they are open from early in the morning, and some hot springs are open from 4:00. There are various types of hot springs, such as ``gensen gushingagashi,'' where the source is on the bottom of the bathtub, and ``todo-ne'', where you lie down on the floor of the bathroom and take a bath. He said it was rare in the country.

Mr. Kutsukake said, "Problems such as soaring fuel costs and a lack of successors are gradually becoming apparent. When I asked them to take pictures of the inside of the facility, I received many responses saying, 'A place like my house.' We have to leave it to the next generation.It is an issue that must be considered by all citizens of the prefecture."

Among the approximately 30 people who participated, there were also people involved in hot springs. If you raise the price, there is a concern that local regular customers will leave, so I think that balance is a source of trouble for any hot spring."