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Shirakawa Spring

Little knownBarely documented in English. This is the kind of place the site exists for.

Researched and written by Hinato

Shirakawa Springfamous watersMinami-Asospring watercaldera

Photo: ブルーノ・プラス / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 4.0) · original

Shirakawa Spring rewards patience — the view most people describe isn't the one you get by rushing.

The Shirakawa river, which runs through the middle of Kumamoto City, starts here — sixty tonnes a minute coming up out of the ground at a constant fourteen degrees in a pool under trees in the Minami-Aso caldera floor. It is one of the hundred famous waters designated by the Environment Ministry.

The water is drinkable straight from the source and people come with containers. There is a small shrine beside it, cedar trees around it and a village of shops selling soba, tofu and coffee made with it. The charge is ¥100, described as an environmental conservation contribution rather than admission. The nearest station on the Minami-Aso Railway is named after the spring and is fifteen minutes' walk away.

Before you go

Access hours

Daylight hours | Shops keep their own hours

Closed: Open year-round

Entry fee

¥100 environmental conservation contribution

Best time to visit

Year-round | Summer for the cold water

Time to allow

45–60 minutes

How to reach it

Getting there in detail

Shirakawa 2092, Minamiaso, Aso District. By car from central Kumamoto, from Kumamoto Airport or from Kusasenrigahama; or about a short walk from Minami-Aso-Shirakawa-Suigen Station on the Minami-Aso Railway. An environmental conservation contribution of ¥100 is collected on entry. The spring produces around 60 tonnes a minute at a constant 14°C and the water may be taken away. Shops around the site sell soba, tofu and other products made with it.

Local knowledge

**Bring a bottle.** The water is drinkable at the source and taking it away is expected. Shops sell containers if you arrive without one. **¥100, and it is a conservation contribution.** Not an admission fee, and it is the cheapest ticket in Aso. **Fourteen degrees, all year.** Which is cold in August and unremarkable in January. Summer is when the temperature is the point. **The station is named after it.** Minami-Aso-Shirakawa-Suigen, fifteen minutes' walk, on a railway that is itself worth riding. **Eat the soba.** The shops around the spring make it with this water, which is the reason they are there.

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