Dōgo Onsen, Public bathhouse in Matsuyama, Japan.
Dōgo Onsen is a public bathhouse in Matsuyama operating within a multi-story wooden building from 1894 and drawing water from underground thermal springs. The interior contains separate bathing rooms with stone pools, changing areas, and upper floors with tatami resting rooms where visitors drink tea after bathing.
The spring has provided thermal water since ancient times and was mentioned in literary works from the Nara period when it was already considered a healing bath. The current main building emerged during the Meiji reform in the late 19th century and has remained in its basic structure despite later renovations.
The three-story wooden structure still reflects the architectural style of the late Meiji period and draws people from across the region. Visitors follow the same rituals practiced for over a century: changing shoes at the entrance, cleansing the body before entering the pools, and relaxing in a tatami room afterward.
The building opens early in the morning and remains accessible until late evening, allowing visitors to choose their arrival based on daily schedule. Two bathing areas with different sizes and facilities are available, with the upper section offering additional resting rooms.
A small red glass orb on the roof serves as an original time signal and announces the start of operating hours by striking. The mechanism still functions today and is manually activated each morning to inform visitors in the surrounding neighborhood.
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