Hotel hospitality to travellers have been a feature of the earliest civilizations. In Greco-Roman culture and ancient Persia, hospitals for recuperation and rest were built at thermal baths. Japan's Nishiyama Onsen Keiunkan, founded in 705, was officially recognised by the Guinness World Records as the oldest hotel in the world. During the Middle Ages, various religious orders at monasteries and abbeys would offer accommodation for travellers on the road. The precursor to the modern hotel was the inn of medieval Europe, possibly dating back to the rule of Ancient Rome. These would provide for the needs of travellers, including food and
Tamagawa Hot Spring Tamagawa Hot Spring The Tamagawa Hot Spring in Senboku, Akita Prefecture, Japan is the highest flow rate hot spring in Japan. The spring has a flow rate of 150 litres/second. It feeds a 3-meter wide stream with a temperature of 98 °C. The water from Tamagawa Hot Spring is very acidic, with a pH of about 1.1. There is radioactive radium gas and other radioactive materials dissolved in the water from the hot spring. There are deposits of the radioactive mineral hokutolite near the spring. Hokutolite is composed of a type of barite (barium sulfate), including lead and traces of