Hakuba Happo-one’s onsen (hot spring) is an alkaline hot spring flowing from the serpentinite layers near the peak of Mt. Yari, one of the three Shirouma Sanzan mountains. Its colorless, clear hot water has a pH of over 11, making it one of the strongest alkaline hot springs in Japan. Its water removes excessive keratin to stimulate the revitalization of the skin, leaving it soft and smooth.
Research conducted by the Earth-Life Science Institute of the Tokyo Institute of Technology has revealed that due to the water’s high temperature, the number of bacteria in Hakuba Happo-one’s hot spring is much lower than at other onsen. Furthermore, Hakuba’s hot spring water reacts with peridotite, the type of rock comprising the Earth’s deep mantle, and forms hydrocarbons, the basis of life. When peridotite is exposed to the seafloor or the Earth’s surface as a result of tectonic movement and reacts with the water, it turns into serpentinite.
The water temperatures and the properties at Hakuba Happo-one are thought to be very similar to those of the primordial Earth before the appearance of life, making it an essential place for scientists to examine the origins of life. Here you can also enjoy health-promoting waters from the beginning of time.