A town where tofu melts in hot spring water
Ureshino is a hot spring town in Saga Prefecture, a little over an hour by train from Hakata Station in Fukuoka, changing to the shinkansen at Takeo-Onsen. Its spring water is rich in baking soda, so tofu simmered in it softens and melts, and this hot spring tofu (yudofu) became the town's dish. Warm up with a bowl, taste the green tea grown on the hills around town, then soak in a bath said to leave skin smooth.
A restaurant on the hot spring street, said to be where hot spring tofu was first served. As the tofu simmers in spring water, its edges melt and the broth turns white and creamy. The leftover broth can be turned into zosui, a soft rice porridge, to finish the meal.
A tofu maker's restaurant and shop, built with timber saved from old farmhouses, with dark beams overhead. Eat the hot spring tofu set meal, then buy a pack of tofu with a bottle of the spring water to make it again at home. It is a little outside the hot spring street, so a taxi is the easiest way there.
The town's tea center, where exhibits show how Ureshino green tea is grown and made. Join a class on brewing tea properly, or roast tea leaves yourself in an iron pan, the old way of stopping the leaves from oxidizing. Classes can be booked online or by phone, and the center is closed on Tuesdays.
A tea shop on the hot spring street that grows tea on its own fields and sells the leaves, so you can pick a bag of the town's green tea to take home. The shop next door serves gelato made with the tea, a good break on a walk.
A public bath in a Western-style building with an orange roof, where anyone can pay at the door and soak without staying the night. The water feels silky on the skin, which is why the town calls it a bath for smooth skin. As at any Japanese bath, wash at the taps first, then get in without a swimsuit.
A small shrine in the middle of the hot spring town, dedicated to Toyotama-hime, a goddess linked with beautiful skin. In its grounds sits a white catfish figure, called Namazu-sama, and visitors scoop water over it while praying for clear skin. It takes only a few minutes, so it fits easily into a walk.