A project to deliver onsen hot springs as a whole package, including a bathhouse, will be launched by the city government of Beppu, Oita Prefecture, which is one of the largest hot spring resort areas in Japan.
The bathhouse is a simple facility made of tent fabric that is inflated with a blower. Bathtubs are installed inside it, and hot spring water is delivered from a tank truck, flowing into the bathtubs in the style of a real onsen. The city government is also considering using the facility in disaster-hit areas in the future.
The temporary bathhouse is 10 meters in both length and width and 6.4 meters high. There are dressing rooms alongside the men's and women's bathtubs, each of which is 2.2 meters long, 3 meters wide and 70 centimeters deep and made of fiber-reinforced plastic.
The hot spring water will be pumped from a source in Beppu and transported to various sites in a truck equipped with a special tank that can provide water at suitable temperatures of 40-42 C.
A total of 10 people can bathe in the two bathtubs at one time, and the capacity is up to 300 people a day. The delivery charge is expected to be about 2 million yen per day for locations in Tokyo and about 1 million yen within the Kyushu region.
The city government has spent about 15 million yen on the project, thinking that it will lead to the promotion of Beppu Onsen as well as being of help to people when disasters occur.
The onsen delivery system was named "Genso no Yu" (Hot water of fantasy) and will be operated by B-biz LINK, a general incorporated association in Beppu that works to promote the city.
The system will make its first public appearance at an onsen symposium to be held on Saturday in the city.
Beppu Mayor Yasuhiro Nagano said, "I want to send it to various events and also make use of it [for the sake of victims] if requested at the time of a disaster."
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