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
Yamashiro Onsen World War II, it developed due it its ease of access to Osaka and Kyoto. Yamashiro Onsen The "onsen" has one hotel and 31 "ryokan." Yamashiro 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 who discovered the springs while following an injured crow and seeing it bathe in the hot waters. During the Heian period it developed as part of a Buddhist temple called , dedicated to Yakushi Nyorai, the Buddha of medicine. It was patronised in the Sengoku period