The bliss of soaking in Japan's onsen, even in an area scarred by disasters

Hot springs beckon in Japan's Noto Peninsula, which is embracing visitors once again after being battered by double disasters in 2024.

- Walter Sim

NOTO PENINSULA - Soaking in the mineral-rich onsen hot spring water, I let out an involuntary sigh of bliss as the knots in my body loosen after a day of travel.

Visiting an onsen is a favourite pastime for many, including myself, given how the water boasts restorative qualities that heal the mind and body.

Japan is pushing to have its culture of onsen bathing - born from legendary tales across the archipelago of wounded animals intuitively seeking out hot springs to recuperate - recognised as a Unesco Intangible Cultural Heritage by 2028.

The effort is spearheaded by governors from 44 of its 47 prefectures, including Ishikawa, best known for its capital Kanazawa.

Ishikawa is also home to the rugged Noto Peninsula, which remains deeply scarred by a double whammy of disasters in 2024: a 7.6-magnitude New Year's Day earthquake that triggered tsunami waves of up to 4.7m high, and a record deluge in September that caused flooding and landslides.

The scale of devastation is sobering - buckled roads, collapsed homes, ruined temples, landslides, liquefaction and a seabed that was elevated by 4m in one district, ruining fishing ports and livelihoods. The disasters killed 521 people and triggered an outflow, with the worst-hit cities of Wajima and Suzu seeing population declines of 10 per cent.

Yet very much discordantly, I find myself relaxing in a public bath here alongside other bathers with ruin not far away - a state of mind that marked a 180-degree change from my previous Noto visit in January 2024 to report on the quake aftermath.

Even as I've documented Japanese resilience through my words, I've never expected that a region so battered could so soon embrace visitors again.

Ishikawa Governor Hiroshi Hase, in pushing for a Unesco listing for onsen, said in December: "For all of us hoping to recover and rebuild, having our hot spring culture recognised by Unesco will be a source of great pride."