On May 26, a business successor was unofficially decided at "Furutobe Onsen" (Ikarigaseki, Hirakawa City) in Aomori.

Located in a mountainous area near the prefectural border with Akita, this facility is known by hot spring enthusiasts as a secret hot spring where you can sleep to sleep. Since the summer of last year, the business has been recruiting business successors in earnest, and the business was scheduled to run until the end of May this year. Tatsuo Kimura, the facility's president, said, ``We were actually thinking of closing the business at the end of March, but many people wanted us to continue, so we decided to keep it open until the end of May.''

According to Mr. Kimura, Kotobe Onsen is a hot spring that gushed out during exploratory mining. In 2012 (Heisei 24), it was selected as a judge's special award in the "100 Japanese hotels and inns selected by professionals" sponsored by Travel Newspaper Shinsha.

Mr. Kimura said he interviewed more than 10 candidates. Various people from inside and outside the prefecture showed interest, but Mr. Kimura said that what he saw was a person with a personality and someone who would keep the hot spring inn, which has been running for about 40 years, for as long as possible. “In the end, it all boils down to personality.

Accommodation will be until the end of May, and drop-in baths will continue until the end of June. Regarding the schedule from July onwards, Kimura said, "We will proceed through discussions with prospective applicants. We will probably be closed for at least a month due to the renovation of bathrooms and other facilities."

Mr. Kimura said, "At the age of 80, the burden on my shoulders has finally been lifted. Actually, I haven't been to Kotobe Onsen very often, and I was thinking of taking a bath to rest. I don't think I can do it for another month," he said with a smile.

Business hours are from 9:30 to 19:45.