島根県江津市　来客数30万人から3万人まで減少した「有福温泉」

島根県江津市　来客数30万人から3万人まで減少した「有福温泉」

Arifuku Onsen, located in the middle of Shimane Prefecture, which is long and narrow from east to west, is said to have a history of over 1,300 years and is famous for its colorless and transparent simple alkaline springs, which are known as the “hot springs of beauty.”

The spring quality is an alkali simple hot spring with a temperature of 47 degrees. Arifuku Onsen was originally a hot spring that flourished as a hot spring resort, but during the Meiji period, when the nearby area developed as a military-related consumption area,

It was commandeered as a comfort station and for the treatment of military wounded and sick soldiers, and it began to flourish as a red light district. I did.

The number of tourists to Arifuku Onsen reached its peak during the period of high economic growth after the war, reaching approximately 300,000 people per year in the 1970s, and there were nearly 30 inns operating.

However, as the mainstream of the travel market changed from group travel to individual travel, the number halved to 143,000 in 2000, and fell to 100,000 in 2008. Furthermore, in 2010, a fire broke out in the inn district, and in 2013, the area suffered from heavy rain disasters.

Additionally, in 2017, two long-established inns and a company that operated cafes, etc. went bankrupt, and the number of customers continued to decline. Finally, in 2020, the number of people decreased to 33,000, and the number of inns decreased to 3.

Under such circumstances, a public-private collaboration project has begun in order to prevent the historic hot springs from disappearing in 2021. Three out-of-business inns will be renovated into guesthouses, inns with open-air baths, and cafes, and three existing inns will also be renovated.

This time, I would like to take a look at the “chochin” lights that are decorated throughout the renovated hot spring town, and take a walk through the back alleys. Before going to the hot spring town, let’s take a look at it from a hill. The current temperature is 1 degree.

This is a small square. Let’s go a little higher. There are many small shrines. This is a guide map. The door to the shrine is open. “Hello!” It’s a hot spring town with a snowy landscape. The ruins of the structure remained.

There used to be a long-established inn called “Higuchi” in this location, but it is now demolished. It looks like the site of a quarry. Lantern lights have been lit in the hot spring town. Opening hours of Arifuku Onsen Public Baths

There used to be an inn in this area that was destroyed by a fire in 2010, but it is now used as a plaza and parking lot. This is the public bath “Gozenyu”. It looks warm inside. Gozenyu is said to be a skin-beautifying hot spring that dates back to 651 AD.

This is Yoshidaya, a long-established inn. I want to be warm. Alley. This light is nice and faint. You can hear the sound of “wind chimes”. There is a passageway below. There’s a passage here too. The renovated Arifuku Onsen seems to be doing a lot of things to bring back its vibrancy.

I wanted to try walking again. The hot spring town did not have an old-fashioned image, and the newly built inns and stores stood out. I’ll look at it again.

【テロップは字幕機能をオンにしてください】レトロな温泉街の「有福温泉」は1300年以上もの歴史があるといわれ、湧き出る無色透明な単純アルカリ泉は「美人の湯」として有名です。

観光客数は、1970 年代には年間約30 万人にのぼり、旅館も30件近く営業していました。しかし、旅行市場の主流が団体旅行から個人旅行へ変化する中、2000年には14万3千人と半減し、2008年になると10万人まで減少しました。

さらに2010年に旅館街で火災が発生、2013年には豪雨災害に見舞われるという悲運も重なりました。

また、2017年には老舗旅館2軒とカフェ等を運営していた企業が連鎖的に倒産し、客数の減少が続きました。そしてついに、2020年には3万3千人まで減少し、旅館数も3件まで減少しました。

2021年、歴史ある温泉を絶やすまいと、官民連携の再生事業が始まりました。廃業した旅館3棟をゲストハウスや露天風呂付き旅館、カフェに改修し、既存3旅館もリニューアルすることになりました。