Shione Onsen-kyo (Hot Spring Village, Hotsprings)

This is a hotspring town that is located on the border with Tokushima Prefecture, about 15 minutes from Takamatsu Airport by car. There are 10 hotels and inns with hotsprings located along the valley. This area is called the Shionoe Road and has landscape that recalls the old days, and tells of the long and prosperous history of hotsprings. It is said that about 1,300 years ago the famous monk Gyoki found the hot water and started the Shionoe hotsprings. Kukai, the founder of Shingen-shu sect of Buddhism, trained here, and the tradition of treating sickness in the hotsprings spread. The spring water is hydrogen sulfate, and the softness of the water can be felt from the skin all the way into the core of the body. In addition to the hotsprings, there are waterfalls and streams. The spring cherry blossoms and the autumn foliage make this a place to take in the natural beauty of the four seasons.