Matsushiro, the city of water, also happens to be the land of hot springs. During the Battle of Kawanakajima in the Warring States period, the soldiers would relax in the hot spring known as "Shingen's hidden spring."
The spring wasn’t open to the public, but as the hot spring culture spread, the situation changed. According to records, the hot spring opened to the public in the middle of the Edo period upon villagers’ request to the Matsushiro Clan. The locals must have been ecstatic, being able to enjoy hot springs locally instead of traveling all the way to Kusatsu.
The color of the hot water in the Matsushiro hot spring is brownish red with orange hues. It’s clear when it springs up from the earth, but as the iron reacts with the air, it changes the color. You may be taken aback by the thick color, or the minerals stuck on the bottom of a spring, but these things show how rich in minerals the water is.