Dōgo Onsen Dōgo Onsen Dōgo Onsen is one of the oldest onsen hot springs in Japan, with a history stretching back over 1000 years. The springs are mentioned in the Man'yōshū (written c. 759) and, according to legend, Prince Shōtoku (574–622) used to partake of the waters. Dōgo Onsen was the favorite retreat of writer Natsume Sōseki (1867–1916) when he was working near Matsuyama as a teacher in what was at the time rural Shikoku. In Soseki's loosely autobiographical novel "Botchan", the eponymous main character is a frequent visitor to the springs, the only place he likes in the area. Dogo Onsen
Yamanaka Onsen Yamanaka Onsen This hot spring has one hotel and 20 "ryokan." Yamanaka Onsen has a very ancient history, and there are several myths about its foundation. One story attributes it to the wandering Buddhist monk Gyōki in the Nara period. Another story states that the Kamakura period samurai Hasebe Nobutsura discovered the springs while following an injured white heron and seeing it bath in the hot waters. It was patronised in the Muromachi period by the "Ikkō-ikki" leader Rennyo and was visited in the Edo period by the poet Matsuo Bashō. During World War II, it was designated as a