The 100 Remarkable Waters of Japan

1Yotei Fukidashi spring, Kyogoku羊蹄のふきだし湧水Hokkaido

Rain and snow that fell on Mount Yotei decades ago gush out in Fukidashi Park at about 80,000 tonnes a day and 6.5°C all year. Kyogoku town draws its tap water from it.

2Kanro Sensui spring, Rishiri Island甘露泉水Hokkaido

The northernmost water on the list, around 5.5°C year-round, emerging near the third station of the Oshidomari trail up Mount Rishiri, where climbers stop for water. Walkers on the mountain are asked to use portable toilets to keep waste out of the water it feeds.

Best: June to September (hiking season).

3Naibetsu River springs, Chitoseナイベツ川湧水Hokkaido

More than 60 springs feed this 2.5 km stream, Chitose's main source of tap water. The springs themselves lie in a closed national historic site, so visitors go to Meisui Fureai Park downstream, whose water tap is fed straight from the city's purification plant.

4Tomita no Shitsuko spring, Hirosaki富田の清水Aomori

Papermakers brought in by the Tsugaru lord used this spring from 1686, and its six stone basins kept a strict order: the first two for drinking, then rice and greens, then paper materials and pickles, and the last two for laundry and feet. It sits on a residential street near Saisho-in's five-storey pagoda.

5Igami no Shitsuko spring, Hirakawa渾神の清水Aomori

Legend says the general Sakanoue no Tamuramaro cured an eye disease by bathing his eyes here, so 'god of the eyes' became the name Igami. The ministry's listing asks you to boil any water you take home and not to drink it if it looks cloudy.

6Underground lakes of Ryusendo cave龍泉洞地底湖の水Iwate

One of Japan's three great limestone caves: 700 m of its 4,088 m of known passages are open, past three of its eight known lakes, the third 98 m deep and a vivid blue under the lights (entry ¥1,100). The same water supplies Iwaizumi's taps and is sold bottled.

Typhoon No. 15 flooded the cave's walkways and it closed from August 12, 2026, reopening on August 22 (Ryusendo official site). It closes without notice whenever the water rises, as it did for months after a 2016 typhoon and again in August 2024.

7Kanazawa Shimizu springs, Hachimantai金沢清水Iwate

Seven springs at the foot of Mount Iwate, together about 34,000 tonnes a day, feed a prefectural fisheries centre that raises and studies rainbow trout, yamame and ayu. The springs are fenced off; a raised platform at the fence lets you look in.

8Katsuraha Shimizu spring, Kurihara桂葉清水Miyagi

Locals call it 'Katsurappa', the best known of Takashimizu's seven springs, and brewers from 13 towns north of Sendai once came in winter to haul it away in tubs on horse carts and sleds. The flow has dwindled since 1985, and the listing says to boil it before use.

9Hirose River, Sendai広瀬川Miyagi

A city river with wild cliffs, 1–2 km from central Sendai, protected since 1974 by an ordinance written to keep it clean enough for ayu. Date Masamune built his castle on the bluff above it in 1601.

Getting there: About 30 min walk from JR Sendai Station to Ohashi bridge.

10Rokugo springs, Misato六郷湧水群Akita

Dozens of shimizu springs rise across the town of Rokugo on an alluvial fan, and residents still use and clean them together. Mitaidokoro Shimizu, named for a lord's rest house, flows at 21 litres a second and 11.7°C.

11Chikaramizu spring, Yuzawa力水Akita

The 'strength water' flows from the foot of the old Yuzawa castle hill in Chuo Park, named after the lords who drank it to build their stamina. It runs at about 11 litres a minute and around 13°C.

Getting there: 10 min walk from JR Yuzawa Station.

12Gassan foothill springs, Nishikawa月山山麓湧水群Yamagata

Meltwater from Gassan's year-round snowfields filters through beech forest, for about 400 years by local reckoning, before surfacing around Shizu; part of it is bottled and sold. In late May fresh beech leaves stand against lingering snow.

Best: Mid-May to early June.

13Omigawa stream, Higashine小見川Yamagata

A 2.2 km stream fed by Jizo pond, home to the endangered ibaratomiyo, a small nest-building stickleback protected as a prefectural natural monument; a hut on the bank lets you watch it underwater. Locals say it was the first place in Tohoku to farm trout.

14West Bandai foothill springs磐梯西山麓湧水群Fukushima

The main spring, Ryugasawa, is a national historic site where rain-making rites were held from ancient times until just after the Second World War; it has never failed in drought. About 2,000 tonnes a day flow, and part is piped 1 km down to the Enichi-ji temple museum, where people fill containers.

15Onogawa spring (Hyakkan Shimizu), Kitashiobara小野川湧水Fukushima

Hyakkan Shimizu, praised as 'worth more than a hundred kan', pushes up through white sand in untouched beech forest on the slopes of Nishi-Azuma, about 30 min on foot from the trekking car park. The stream then drops over Onogawa Fudo Falls into Lake Onogawa.

Best: Fresh green in late spring, foliage in October.

16Yamizo springs, Daigo八溝川湧水群Ibaraki

Five springs near the top of Mount Yamizo, Ibaraki's highest peak, named by Tokugawa Mitsukuni of Mito, who is said to have favoured Kinshosui. They have never run dry despite sitting at around 800 m.

Best: April to November (the forest road up closes December to March).

17Izuruhara Benten pond, Sano出流原弁天池湧水Tochigi

A prefectural natural monument: 6–8 cubic metres a minute well up into a clear pond below a limestone hill, the source of the Izuru River. Carp cruise over the spring, and a legend says a rich man's lost daughter lives on as one of them.

18Shojinzawa spring, Shioya尚仁沢湧水Tochigi

About 65,000 tonnes a day at around 11°C rise in beech forest on the flank of Mount Shakagatake, reached on a forest trail from the car park. Nara-period mountain worshippers purified themselves here before climbing.

19Ogawa weir channel, Obata雄川堰Gunma

A channel of about 400 years' standing that runs beside the streets of Obata, the Oda clan's former castle town, and on to the rice fields; in early April the cherry trees along it bloom over the water. Residents clear it of litter every week and drain it three times a year to clean it.

Getting there: 20 min walk from Joshu-Fukushima Station (Joshin Electric Railway). Best: Early April (cherry blossom).

20Hakoshima spring, Higashiagatsuma箱島湧水Gunma

About 30,000 tonnes a day well up from the roots of a cedar said to be 500 years old, beside the Hakoshima Fudo temple; legend says it is Lake Haruna's water coming out the other side. Fireflies live along the stream below.

Getting there: About 30 min walk from JR Onogami Station (Agatsuma Line).

21Fuppu River and Yamatomizu spring, Yorii風布川・日本水Saitama

Yamatomizu is said to have sprung where the hero Yamato Takeru drove his sword into a cliff, so cold he could drink only one cup. It feeds the Fuppu River, which has a 3.4 km riverside hiking path and mandarin orchards the ministry calls Japan's northernmost.

The source on Mount Kamabuse is off-limits because of rockfall risk (Yorii Town, page updated April 1, 2026). The town's Yamatomizu drinking fountain lower down is open, and you can collect the water there.

Getting there: Realistically a car trip; from Hakure Station (Chichibu Railway) it is about 6 km on foot.

22Yuya no Shimizu spring, Chonan熊野の清水Chiba

Legend credits Kobo Daishi with raising this spring for thirsty farmers, and for about a century from the Muromachi period it served a healing bathhouse run by Tsurugaoka Hachimangu, hence Yuya, 'hot-water valley'. It flows at about 48 litres a minute and waters the rice fields below.

23Otaka-no-michi and Masugata pond springs, Kokubunjiお鷹の道・真姿の池湧水群Tokyo

Springs seep from the Kokubunji cliff line into a stream beside a lane that crossed the Owari Tokugawa's falconry grounds, a quiet walk in western Tokyo. In legend the beauty Tamatsukuri no Komachi was cured in Masugata pond in 848; the water is not fit to drink.

Getting there: About 15 min walk from JR Kokubunji Station. Best: Late November to early December (autumn leaves).

24Mitake gorge, Ome御岳渓流Tokyo

The Tama River rushes between boulders below Mitake, with about 4 km of path along both banks, canoeists in the rapids and the Gyokudo Art Museum, devoted to the painter Kawai Gyokudo, beside the water.

Getting there: The riverside path starts just below JR Mitake Station (Ome Line).

25Hadano basin springs秦野盆地湧水群Kanagawa

Hadano opened Japan's third modern waterworks in 1890, fed by springs, and still takes most of its tap water from the ground. Its best-known spring, Kobo no Shimizu (16°C, about 100 tonnes a day), was found polluted with tetrachloroethylene in 1989; the city declared it revived on January 1, 2004.

Getting there: Kobo no Shimizu is a 5 min walk from Odakyu Hadano Station.

26Shasui Falls and the Takizawa River, Yamakita洒水の滝・滝沢川Kanagawa

Three drops of 69, 16 and 29 m, the first seen whole from a red footbridge; the monk Mongaku is said to have stood beneath it for 100 days of ascetic practice. The plunge pool is now off-limits, and a fire festival is held at the Fudo hall on the fourth Sunday of July.

Getting there: About 35 min walk from JR Yamakita Station (Gotemba Line).

27Ryugakubo pond, Tsunan龍ヶ窪の水Niigata

About 30 tonnes a minute well up at 7–8°C into a 220 m pond that replaces all its water once a day. Legend says a dragon whose egg starving villagers had taken was moved by their pleas and made it rain for three days to fill the hollow; the site is closed in winter.

Best: Late April to early November.

28Todo no Mori spring, Nagaoka杜々の森湧水Niigata

A grove kept sacred for centuries, whose source is off-limits so it stays untouched; the water reaches visitors at Todo no Mori Meisui Park. Locals use it for koi farming and to melt snow, and the ministry counted more than 200,000 visitors a year coming to fill containers.

29Kurobe River fan springs, Kurobe and Nyuzen黒部川扇状地湧水群Toyama

Groundwater from the Kurobe River's alluvial fan resurfaces along the coast at Ikuji as shozu springs, with shared stone washing places still used for drinking and rinsing vegetables. Inland, a 2.67 ha grove of spring-fed cedar is the last survivor of the fan's marsh forests.

Getting there: Ikuji's springs start about 20 min on foot from Ikuji Station (Ainokaze Toyama Railway).

30Anantan sacred spring, Kamiichi穴の谷の霊水Toyama

Down 108 stone steps, water flows beside a Yakushi statue in a valley hall, revered as healing water since an Edo-period monk trained here, and worshippers come every day. Local producers use it for sake, miso and soy sauce.

Best: January, when locals collect 'kan no mizu', the midwinter water.

31Tamadono spring, Tateyama立山玉殿の湧水Toyama

The highest water on the list, at 2,450 m beside Murodo terminal, released when the Alpine Route's tunnel through Tateyama was dug. It flows at about 2 tonnes a day and 2–5°C even in midsummer.

Getting there: Beside Murodo terminal on the Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route. Best: April 15 to November 30, while the Alpine Route runs. Our toyama guide

32Urisaku Shozu spring, Tonami瓜裂清水Toyama

About 600 years ago, the story goes, the priest Shakunyo's horse sank a hoof here, water burst out, and it was so cold that a melon split in it, hence urisaku, 'melon-splitting'. It now sits in a small water memorial park in Shogawa.

33Kobo-ike spring, Hakusan弘法池の水Ishikawa

Water rises from the bottom of a pot-shaped rock hollow, hence its other name, Kama-ike ('pot pond'), where legend says Kobo Daishi thrust his staff into the rock; it is a Hakusan city cultural property. The city tests the water but does not offer it for drinking.

34Kowashudo spring, Wajima古和秀水Ishikawa

Sojiji's founder Keizan is said to have found it on a dragon god's instruction, and the temple uses it for the tea and hot water offered at its altars; the name comes from a tale that it tasted of sake to a father and of water to his son. About 90 tonnes a day, in forest above Monzen, with a sign asking you to boil it.

The January 2024 Noto earthquake brought down cloisters and halls at Sojiji Soin in Monzen. We could not confirm the state of the spring and its forest path as of September 2026; check with Wajima City before going.

35Mitarashi pond, Nanao御手洗池Ishikawa

A clear, still pond in the forest of Akakura Shrine, said to have treated the eye disease of Emperor Shomu's crown prince; it still irrigates over 20 hectares of rice. Nanao City tells visitors to boil the water before drinking it.

36Uriwari Falls, Wakasa瓜割の滝Fukui

Cold enough, legend says, to split a melon left in it, this spring tumbles as a small fall in the woods behind Tentoku-ji at a steady 4,500 tonnes a day, among about 10,000 hydrangeas. Bottled as Wakasa Uriwari no Mizu, it came second for taste in the ministry's 2016 poll.

Getting there: About 15 min walk from JR Kaminaka Station (Obama Line). Best: June (hydrangeas).

37Oshozu spring, Echizen-Onoお清水Fukui

The 'honourable spring' once supplied water to cook the castle lord's rice, and the samurai households downstream kept strict rules, drinking at the top and washing at the bottom, which neighbours still follow. It sits at the foot of the hill below Echizen Ono Castle.

Getting there: About 15 min walk from JR Echizen-Ono Station (Etsumi-hoku Line). Best: July to August, when the flow is strongest.

38Unose pool, Obama鵜の瀬Fukui

On the night of March 2 the Omizuokuri rite pours sacred water into this pool on the Onyu River; legend says it flows underground for ten days to the Wakasa well at Todai-ji in Nara, drawn for the Omizutori. More than 3,000 torchbearers walk the 2 km from Jingu-ji.

Best: March 2 (Omizuokuri).

39Oshino Hakkai springs忍野八海Yamanashi

Eight spring ponds in a village at the foot of Mount Fuji, fed by snowmelt that spends decades filtering through lava; a national natural monument since 1934 and part of the Fuji World Heritage Site since 2013. Most visitors circle the ponds around Waku-ike, the deepest; Deguchi-ike stands apart and is far quieter.

40Southern Yatsugatake springs, Hokuto八ヶ岳南麓高原湧水群Yamanashi

Two big springs: Sanbuichi, whose stone divider splits the flow three ways to settle an old dispute between villages (8,500 tonnes a day at about 10°C, used for farming and not for drinking), and Otaki, pouring from a hollowed-log spout in a shrine at about 22,000 tonnes a day.

Getting there: Otaki spring is about 20 min on foot from JR Kobuchizawa Station.

41Ojira River, Hakushu白州・尾白川Yamanashi

Filtered through the granite of Kai-Komagatake, the Ojira runs through a gorge above Chiku Komagatake Shrine, with a loop trail of about three hours past pools and the three-tiered Shinja Falls. Legend names it after a sacred white-tailed horse.

42Saruku spring, Iida猿庫の泉Nagano

Found in 1829 by the tea master Fuzoan Ryukei, who followed the Tenryu River upstream in search of perfect water for tea, this soft spring on Mount Kazakoshi still hosts open-air tea on Sundays and holidays from April to October.

Best: April to October (open-air tea on Sundays and holidays).

43Azumino wasabi field springs安曇野わさび田湧水群Nagano

Northern Alps snowmelt resurfaces at about 700,000 tonnes a day, never above 15°C, where three rivers meet; since the Taisho era it has fed wasabi terraces, including the Daio Wasabi Farm, before going on to trout ponds. It came first for both sightseeing and scenery in the ministry's 2016 poll.

Best: Late March to early May, when the wasabi flowers.

44Hime River source, Hakuba姫川源流湧水Nagano

The Hime River, which reaches the Sea of Japan 58 km away, begins right here as springs at 8°C in a small flat below the watershed, a rare case of a river born whole from one spring area. Fukujuso flowers carpet the protected source in mid-April.

Getting there: 10 min walk from JR Minami-Kamishiro Station (Oito Line). Best: Mid-April (fukujuso flowers).

45Sogisui spring, Gujo Hachiman宗祇水（白雲水）Gifu

Named after the linked-verse poet Sogi, who stayed by this spring in the 1470s; its stone basin is divided into sections for drinking, for washing rice and cooling watermelons, and for vegetables, and townspeople still keep to them. The Sogisui water festival falls during the Gujo Odori on August 20.

Getting there: About 30 min walk from Gujo-Hachiman Station (Nagaragawa Railway). Best: August (Gujo Odori).

46Middle Nagara River, Mino to Gifu長良川（中流域）Gifu

The Nagara through Mino, Seki and Gifu carries sea-run satsukimasu in spring and ayu in summer, and its underflow supplies Gifu's tap water. From May 11 to October 15 cormorant-fishing boats work it by firelight at Gifu and Seki.

Best: May 11 to October 15 (cormorant fishing). Our gifu guide

47Yoro Falls and Kikusui spring養老の滝・菊水泉Gifu

The spring at Yoro Shrine gave Japan an era name: legend says a devoted son's water turned to sake for his father, and in 717 Empress Gensho renamed the era Yoro, 'nourishing old age'. Yoro Falls is a short climb above.

48Kakitagawa springs, Shimizu柿田川湧水群Shizuoka

About a million tonnes a day at 15°C well up from Fuji lava beds under Route 1, forming a river only about 1.2 km long, a national natural monument since 2011; from the park's decks you can watch sand boiling in the vents. A citizens' land trust saved it from factory pollution in the 1970s and 1980s.

Best: May to September (Mishima baikamo flowers).

49Middle Kiso River, Inuyama木曽川（中流域）Aichi

The Kiso's last gorge, below Inuyama Castle, runs past chert cliffs and boulders; the river took its present course after a great flood in 1586 and supplies drinking water for Inuyama and the Owari region. The listed stretch runs about 15 km upstream from Inuyama bridge.

Getting there: Meitetsu Inuyama-yuen Station is on the riverbank below Inuyama Castle. Our nagoya guide

50Chishaku Yosui channel, Yokkaichi智積養水Mie

A 1.8 km spring-fed channel through the village of Chishaku that residents once used for everything from washing rice to bathing. In 1972 local children began releasing carp into it and cleaning it, and it is now known for its koi.

Getting there: 3 min walk from Kintetsu Sakura Station (Yunoyama Line).

51Erihara no Mizuana (Ama-no-Iwato), Shima恵利原の水穴（天の岩戸）Mie

Water pours from a cave in forested limestone at about 31,000 tonnes a day, and legend makes it Ama-no-Iwato, the cave where the sun goddess hid. Tests sometimes find coliform bacteria, and local tourist information advises boiling it.

52Juo-mura spring, Hikone十王村の水Shiga

A stone-fenced spring pond at a street corner, with a hexagonal hall in the middle for a Jizo prayed to by nursing mothers; an Edo-period gazetteer notes that cloth bleached in it came out especially fine. About 400 residents belong to its preservation society.

Getting there: About 15 min walk from JR Minami-Hikone Station.

53Izumi Shrine spring, Maibara泉神社湧水Shiga

Limestone water from Mount Ibuki rises in the shrine grounds at about 4,500 tonnes a day and 11°C, one of the 'three famous waters of Ibuki'. A collection point set apart from the source lets visitors fill containers, and people come from far away to do it.

54Gokosui spring at Gokogu, Fushimi伏見の御香水Kyoto

In 862, the shrine's legend says, a fragrant spring rose here and cured the sick, giving Gokogu its name. Locals still bring bottles to take it home for tea and calligraphy, a short walk from the sake breweries of Fushimi.

Getting there: 3 min walk from Kintetsu Momoyama-Goryomae Station. Our kyoto guide

55Isoshimizu well, Amanohashidate磯清水Kyoto

A fresh-water well on the pine-covered Amanohashidate sandbar, with sea on both sides yet not a trace of salt; the poet Izumi Shikibu is said to have written of it. It cannot be drunk: it serves as the hand-washing water for Amanohashidate Shrine beside it.

Getting there: About 15 min walk from Amanohashidate Station (Kyoto Tango Railway).

56Rikyu no Mizu well, Minase Shrine離宮の水Osaka

Osaka's only entry, a well on the site of Emperor Go-Toba's country palace, once kept for shrine offerings and later prized for tea. The shrine opens the tap from 6:00 to 17:00 and asks anyone who has drawn 20 litres to rejoin the end of the queue.

Getting there: About 15 min walk from Hankyu Minase Station or JR Shimamoto Station.

57Miyamizu, Nishinomiya宮水Hyogo

The hard, iron-free groundwater of a roughly 500 m square of southern Nishinomiya that made Nada sake famous after a brewer tested it in 1840. The wells belong to the breweries and are not open to the public, but a monument marks the first one.

Getting there: About 10 min walk south of Hanshin Nishinomiya Station to the monument.

58Nunobiki gorge, Kobe布引渓流Hyogo

A gorge right behind Shin-Kobe Station with four named falls praised in classical poetry, and above them the 1900 Nunobiki Reservoir, still part of Kobe's supply; sailors once prized 'Kobe water' because it kept fresh on long voyages. There is nowhere to draw the water.

Getting there: About 10 min walk from Shin-Kobe Station to Nunobiki Falls. Our kobe guide

59Chikusa River千種川Hyogo

About 70 km from the mountains where Hyogo, Okayama and Tottori meet to the Harima Sea at Ako, with little artificial change to its banks and campgrounds along the upper valley in Shiso. Schoolchildren survey its insect life to track water quality.

60Dorogawa springs, Tenkawa洞川湧水群Nara

Three springs around the mountain hot-spring village of Dorogawa at the foot of Mount Omine. Gorogoro-sui, named for the rumble of water in the limestone underground, draws about 50,000 people a year to fill containers; the cave spring of Shinsendo cannot be collected.

61Nonaka no Shimizu, Kumano Kodo野中の清水Wakayama

A spring on the Kumano Kodo Nakahechi route, just below Tsugizakura-oji and its one-sided cedars, that has never failed in drought on an otherwise dry hillside; it runs 50–200 tonnes a day. An anonymous poem about it appears in the Kokinshu anthology.

62Three wells of Kimii-dera, Wakayama紀三井寺の三井水Wakayama

Three wells, Seijosui, Yoryusui and Kisshosui, give Kimii-dera, the second temple of the Saigoku pilgrimage, its name; people come for water for flower arranging, tea and calligraphy. About 900 cherry trees bloom on the temple hill from late March.

Getting there: 5 min walk from JR Kimiidera Station. Best: Late March to early April (cherry blossom).

63Amano Manai spring, Yonago天の真名井Tottori

A spring among the rice fields of Yodoe whose name, 'heavenly true well', is the highest honorific a pure water can be given. About 2,500 tonnes a day at around 14°C, cool in summer and warm in winter, used by the village for daily life and irrigation.

64Tengawa spring, Ama (Oki Islands)天川の水Shimane

On Nakanoshima in the Oki Islands, about 400 tonnes a day flow from a grotto beside Seisui-ji temple, with no record of it ever running dry; legend says the monk Gyoki named it 'heaven's river' in the Nara period. It is about 15 min by car from Hishiura port.

65Dangyo Falls spring, Okinoshima壇鏡の滝湧水Shimane

Twin falls drop from a cliff behind Dangyo Shrine on Dogo, the largest Oki island. Before the island's bull-fighting bouts and classical sumo, participants still come the night before to collect the water and purify themselves, and it is also used to brew sake.

66Shiogama cold spring, Hiruzen塩釜の冷泉Okayama

A gourd-shaped pool of about 60 m² at the foot of Naka-Hiruzen that wells up at 300 litres a second and 11°C in every season, supplying about 600 homes. It came second for sightseeing in the ministry's 2016 poll.

67Omachi cold spring, Okayama雄町の冷泉Okayama

Groundwater from the Asahi River, pumped from 8 m down to a monument in Omachi Aqua Garden, a park built in 1997. From 1686 it was the Ikeda lords' private water, guarded so that ordinary people could not even see the well.

68Iwai spring, Kagamino岩井Okayama

Water seeps from beneath a rock overhang at Iwai Falls, a fall you can walk behind, at about 170 tonnes a day and 10°C; it is known as water for couples hoping for a child, and a festival on July 10 serves nagashi-somen made with it. Locals carry it home and boil it.

Best: Late April to November (snow blocks the path from December).

69Middle Ota River, Hiroshima太田川（中流域）Hiroshima

Hiroshima's river above the delta, from Kabe down to the Gion sluice, flowing at about 40 cubic metres a second and supplying the city's drinking water. Its riverbanks are parks, and ayu fishing opens in early summer.

Getting there: The Gion sluice is about 15 min on foot from JR Aki-Nagatsuka Station (Kabe Line).

70Imadegawa Shimizu spring, Fuchu今出川清水Hiroshima

A stone cistern divided, from the source down, into basins for drinking, washing food and laundry, still cleaned by neighbours; the flow has shrunk and the water is no longer drinkable. In 2012 the town found its 1985 nomination had swapped this spring's name with another 120 m away.

71Beppu Benten pond, Mine別府弁天池湧水Yamaguchi

A clear pond in the karst country near Akiyoshidai that wells up at about 168 litres a second and 14.5°C. Its water supplies drinking water, rice fields and the trout farm next door.

72Sakuraido well, Iwakuni桜井戸Yamaguchi

A village well that the first Iwakuni lord, Kikkawa Hiroie, judged a match for the imperial palace's Yanagi no Mizu in Kyoto; tea masters including Ueda Soko of the Asano clan favoured it, and ships crossing the Inland Sea took on water here. About 50 tonnes a day.

Getting there: 5 min walk from JR Tsuzu Station (Sanyo Line).

73Jakuchi River and Goryu Falls, Iwakuni寂地川Yamaguchi

The headwaters of the Usa River in beech forest in the Nishi-Chugoku Sanchi park, where a path loops past the five falls of Goryu no Taki in about an hour. The water supplies local homes and wasabi growers.

74Egawa spring, Yoshinogawa江川の湧水Tokushima

A spring with its seasons reversed: Yoshinogawa City says it runs at about 10°C in summer and over 20°C in winter, so water lilies bloom in winter, and nobody has fully explained why. It is a prefectural natural monument.

Getting there: 5 min walk from JR Nishi-Oe Station (Tokushima Line).

75Sacred spring of Mount Tsurugi剣山御神水Tokushima

Seeping from under a rock near the 1,955 m summit of Mount Tsurugi, the source of the Iya River and a water stop for climbers, long said to be water of youth. It came fifth among 'secluded' waters in the ministry's 2016 poll.

Getting there: Chairlift from Minokoshi, then about 1 km on foot. Best: Late April to mid-November (Minokoshi's facilities close in winter).

76Yubune spring, Shodoshima湯船の水Kagawa

On an island short of water most years, this spring on wooded Mount Yubune has never failed in drought, about 400 tonnes a day, and waters the terraced rice fields of Nakayama below. Tests have found E. coli, so it is not one to drink.

Best: Mid-June, after rice planting.

77Uchinuki artesian wells, SaijoうちぬきEhime

In Saijo, pipes driven into the ground bring up artesian water from the Kamo River that flows out on its own; the ministry counts about 2,000 of these wells in the old town and 3,000 citywide, and homes there draw their water from their own pipes. The city tests the water at about 90 points every year.

Getting there: Uchinuki spouts stand around JR Iyo-Saijo Station.

78Jo-no-Fuchi spring, Matsuyama杖ノ淵Ehime

A spring pond where Kobo Daishi is said to have struck his staff (jo) into the ground; his statue stands at the water's edge, and teiregi, a small cress protected as a city natural monument, grows in it. It irrigates about 22 hectares of rice and lies 800 m from Sairin-ji, temple 48 of the Shikoku pilgrimage.

Best: Spring (cherry blossom).

79Kannonsui spring, Seiyo観音水Ehime

Water from a limestone cave in Uwa, about 8,000 tonnes a day and weakly alkaline, flows into the Hiji River; legend says it answered a prayer to Kannon. The ministry's collector card calls its cold 'body-cutting'.

Best: May to August.

80Shimanto River四万十川Kochi

A 196 km river in a basin that is 85 percent forest, crossed by 47 low chinkabashi, railless bridges built to let floods wash over them, which Kochi Prefecture decided in 1993 to preserve. Fishermen still drive wild ayu into nets at night with swinging torches (hiburi-ryo).

Our kochi guide

81Antokusui spring, Ochi安徳水Kochi

On Mount Yokogura, where legend says the Taira clan hid the boy emperor Antoku after their defeat in 1185 and drew his water here, 10 min on foot from the third car park. The town's tests found coliform bacteria, so it should not be drunk unboiled.

82Kiyomizu spring, Ukiha清水湧水Fukuoka

Rising at Kiyomizu-dera below the Minou mountains, about 700 tonnes a day at 17°C, in a town that relied entirely on groundwater for drinking. A preservation society of about 100 residents looks after it.

Getting there: About 30 min walk from JR Ukiha Station.

83Furosui well, Kashii不老水Fukuoka

A well in the woods north of Kashii-gu, said to have given Takeuchi no Sukune, who cooked and brewed with it, a life of 300 years; it was once sent to the imperial court with the shrine's sacred cedar each New Year. The listing says to boil it before drinking.

Getting there: About 13 min walk from JR Kashii-Jingu Station.

84Ryumon stream, Arita竜門の清水Saga

Springs from the forested Kurokami mountains run through the rock-walled Ryumon gorge, where legend says the archer Minamoto no Tametomo slew a giant serpent, into Ryumon Dam, Arita's water supply. The 2.6 km road round the lake is lined with cherry trees.

85Kiyomizu River, Ogi清水川Saga

Below Kiyomizu Falls, a row of restaurants serves koi no arai, thin-sliced raw carp kept in ponds of the river's cold water. Genji fireflies swarm along it and the Gion River downstream from late May to early June.

Best: Late May to early June (fireflies).

86Shimabara springs島原湧水群Nagasaki

More than 50 springs rise across Shimabara, many set flowing by the earthquakes of the 1792 Unzen eruption, together about 46,000 tonnes a day; carp swim in the channels of the 'town where koi swim', and a stone channel runs down the samurai-house street. At Hamanokawa, four basins are used in order for food, dishes and laundry.

Our nagasaki guide

87Todoroki gorge, Isahaya轟渓流Nagasaki

A gorge in the Tara mountains with about 30 falls large and small, including the thundering Todoroki Falls, and water at a steady 14°C that goes on to feed rice fields and homes. It ranked fifth for scenery in the ministry's 2016 poll.

Isahaya City closed the gorge's facilities after earthquakes in summer 2026 and partly reopened them on August 13, 2026. Since a 2020 rockfall on a gorge path killed two walkers, the city also closes the area without notice under weather rules, for example at the start of the rainy season; check its notices before going.

Best: May for fresh green; July and August for cool air.

88Todoroki spring, Uto轟水源Kumamoto

The first Hosokawa lord of Uto piped this spring 4.8 km into town in the 17th century, and the aqueduct, relined with Umakado stone pipes in the Meiwa era (1764–1772), is said to be Japan's oldest waterworks still in use. About 4,200 litres flow each minute.

The M7.1 Kumamoto earthquake of July 28, 2026 (shindo 7 in Uto) cut the city's water, and residents came here to collect water during the outage (NHK, July 30, 2026). Local broadcaster RKK reported that part of the stone wall around the spring collapsed and the water ran brown before clearing. JR trains between Kumamoto and Uto resumed on August 2, 2026.

Getting there: About 30 min walk, or 5 min by taxi, from JR Uto Station.

89Shirakawa spring, Minami-Aso白川水源Kumamoto

About 60 tonnes a minute at 14°C bubble up through sand beside Shirakawa Yoshimi Shrine, the main source of the river that flows through Kumamoto city. Kumamoto's official tourism site says you may drink it and take it home; there is a ¥100 conservation fee.

Getting there: About 15 min walk from Minami-Aso Shirakawa-suigen Station (Minami-Aso Railway).

90Kikuchi Gorge菊池水源Kumamoto

The source of the Kikuchi River, where clear water slides over rock ledges and falls through old broadleaf forest at around 14°C, a natural air-conditioner in summer; entry is ¥500 and swimming is banned. It ranked fourth for scenery in the ministry's 2016 poll.

Closed from July 29, 2026 after the Kumamoto earthquake; the entry ban was lifted at 8:30 am on August 4, 2026 (Kikuchi Gorge official site). After the 2016 earthquake it stayed shut for about two years.

Best: April 1 to November 30 (staffed season).

91Ikeyama spring, Ubuyama池山水源Kumamoto

A pool in a grove of cedars over 200 years old, with a water god's shrine in the middle, welling up at 30 tonnes a minute and 13.5°C; it becomes the Tamarai River and ends up in Beppu Bay. Fireflies fill the grove in mid-June.

92Oike springs, Yufu男池湧水群Oita

Groundwater that has spent more than a year underground wells up at about 20,000 tonnes a day and 12.6°C into Oike pond, 850 m up on Kurodake. A 1.4 km path loops through the old forest around it.

Best: April to November.

93Taketa springs竹田湧水群Oita

More than 50 springs around Taketa, fed from the Aso system, together 60,000–70,000 tonnes a day at 16°C. At Irita the springs feed fish farms and a bottling plant, and a river pool opens beside Kawauda spring from mid-July.

Best: Mid-July to August (river pool).

94Hakusan River, Bungo-Ono白山川Oita

A clear river from Mount Katamuki running over a bed of welded tuff past giant boulders, with groundwater seeping from its cliffs, beside the Inazumi underwater limestone cave. Genji fireflies and the relict dragonfly Epiophlebia live along it.

Best: Late May to early June (fireflies).

95Idenoyama spring, Kobayashi出の山湧水Miyazaki

One of the springs at the foot of the Kirishima range, flowing at about 1 tonne a second into a pond that feeds fish farms, rice fields and the town's water. Legend says Princess Izumi drowned herself in it for love of Emperor Keiko; Genji fireflies fill it in late May and early June.

Best: Late May to early June (fireflies).

96Aya springs綾川湧水群Miyazaki

Springs scattered through Aya's evergreen laurel forest feed the Ayakita and Ayaminami rivers; there is no single source, as the town counts all its forest water as the meisui. Residents turn out together to clean the rivers and channels.

97Mountain streams of Miyanoura-dake, Yakushima屋久島宮之浦岳流水Kagoshima

All the water running off Yakushima's mountains, led by Miyanoura-dake (1,936 m, Kyushu's highest), where rainfall is estimated at over 10,000 mm a year. The island's 1993 charter sets clean water as a measure of the island itself, and the ministry notes concern about pollution from rising numbers of climbers.

Our kagoshima guide

98Maruike spring, Yusui霧島山麓丸池湧水Kagoshima

A round spring pond in the town centre, about 59,000 tonnes a day at 18°C; rain that falls on Kurinodake takes about 35 years to come out here. It has supplied the town's water since 1963.

Getting there: Beside JR Kurino Station.

99Kiyomizu spring, Kawanabe清水の湧水Kagoshima

About 6,000 tonnes a day well out from the foot of a cliff of shirasu volcanic ash, beside a small shrine to the water god. Half of it goes into the town's water supply for about 3,800 households.

100Kakinohana Hija spring, Nanjo垣花樋川Okinawa

Two spouts, the 'men's river' and the 'women's river', pour from a wooded limestone slope into a shallow pool where horses were once washed. The stone-paved path down still has the resting stones where women carrying water paused for breath.