Japan inn in hot water after bacteria 3,700 times above the legal limit found in its hot spring
The inn admitted that since 2019, it was changing the water on only the two days a year it was not operating. PHOTO: DAIMARUBESSO/FACEBOOK
Japanese hot springs are known for their cleansing and rejuvenating qualities, but one inn has got itself in hot water after the authorities detected bacteria 3,700 times the permissible levels in its pools.
Water in the hot springs, or onsen as they are known, of Daimaru Besso – a traditional inn steeped in more than 158 years of history in the western Japanese prefecture of Fukuoka – was changed just twice a year, NHK reported last Friday.
The water is meant to be changed at least once a week, according to local rules governing onsen maintenance.
The contamination was discovered after a visitor to the onsen fell ill in 2022 due to legionella bacteria, which live in water or unmaintained shower heads and taps, and can cause acute respiratory illnesses such as pneumonia.
Inspections last August revealed that bacteria levels in the inn’s bath waters were initially twice the level allowed, to which the inn reported it had been changing and disinfecting the water according to guidelines.
But a spot check by officials last November instead found that bacteria levels were as much as 3,700 times the accepted level, prompting the inn to admit that since 2019, it had been changing the water on only the two days in a year it was not operating.
Daimaru had also violated rules on properly disinfecting its onsen, Fukuoka officials said. Local health rules mandate that the bath waters‘ chlorine concentration be at least 0.4mg per litre.
“I knew about the ordinance, but I thought (the way water was managed) was fine,” Mr Makoto Yamada, president of Daimaru’s operating company, told NHK. “I don’t know exactly how many years I have been breaking the rule, but it seems like it has been that way since 2019. We are now operating in accordance with the rule.”
Local authorities are investigating the matter and considering imposing fines for making false reports on hygiene management under the Public Baths Act.
The luxurious Daimaru Besso ryokan opened in 1865 and is known for once hosting the late Emperor Hirohito, Asahi Shimbun reported. Located in Chikushino near Kyushu’s main Fukuoka airport, the ryokan is popular with foreign tourists.
