Harazuru Onsen hot springs, Asakura, Fukuoka

We stopped by Harazuru Onsen (原鶴温泉) hot springs in Asakura City before seeing Hinamaturi dolls in Chikugo-Yoshii. The spa town is spreading into the sandbank which is surrounded by Chikugo River (筑後川) and its floodway. It has 23 hotels and Japanese style inns (Ryokan) along the riverside. Among of them, the most popular hotels are Taisenkaku (泰泉閣) , Hotel Parens Onoya (ホテルパーレンス小野屋), Rokuhokan (六峰館) etc. There is a public bath called Himari-no-yu (ひまわりの湯), located out of the spa town along National Highway 386.

A specialty of the spa town is Ukai (鵜飼い) or a cormorant fishing is a traditional method of fishing, now become a part of tourism. How to catch Ayu fish in the river? It looks like this. A fisherman ride to the ship, and he is manipulating several birds to catch it. Ukai is usually held during the summer time, from mid-May to mid-October.