Japanese inn boss apologises for only changing water in spa bath twice a year
https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/japanese-spa-water-scli-intl/index.html
Japanese inn boss apologises for only changing water in spa bath twice a year
https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/japanese-spa-water-scli-intl/index.html
14 comments
Follow-up to an earlier thread:
[Japanese inn in hot water after bacteria in hot spring measures 3,700 times the limit](https://www.reddit.com/r/japan/comments/11bbv1g/japanese_inn_in_hot_water_after_bacteria_in_hot/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android_app&utm_name=androidcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button)
CNN article reads:
The boss of a 158-year-old Japanese guesthouse has apologized for only changing the water in its spa bath twice a year, after it was found to be teeming with potentially deadly bacteria.
A health inspection of the onsen, a traditional Japanese bath using water from volcanically heated hot springs, at the Daimaru Besso inn in Chikushino, Fukuoka Prefecture, detected legionella bacteria at 3,700 times the permitted level, CNN affiliate TV Asahi reported.
According to local regulations, the water at the onsen should have been changed on a weekly basis. But management at the hotel admitted that it was only changed twice a year.
Addressing a press conference on Tuesday, Makoto Yamada, the president of the company that owns the ryokan (traditional guesthouse), bowed deeply and said **he regretted the lack of action taken, adding: “I am very sorry.”**
Legionella bacteria can cause Legionnaires’ disease, a serious type of pneumonia. People can get sick when they breathe in small droplets of water containing the bacteria, causing an infection in the lungs. The illness can be treated with antibiotics.
The bacteria can occur in shower heads and faucets, hot tubs, cooling towers, hot water tanks, decorative fountains or plumbing systems in large buildings.
**Yamada said he was unaware of the importance of changing the water. He told the press conference: “I was not aware of the law myself and thought that legionella bacteria was a common bacterium that could be found anywhere, and also that it was safe because the large baths were free-flowing so the water was changed quite often.”**
The baths were temporarily shut down after the bacteria were detected last year but have returned to being fully operational. Yamada told the press conference that he used the baths himself, even after the bacteria were detected.
The ryokan’s website says of its baths: “Our bath waters come from the Futsukaichi Onsen, which has been flowing for over 1,300 years, a symbol of the unchanging history of the area.
“Futsukaichi Onsen has been visited by government dignitaries and priests for centuries. Its soft and smooth waters leave your skin feeling supple and your mind at ease.”
The water, the website claims, helps relieve “chronic joint pain, nerve pain, gastrointestinal issues, burns, skin issues.”
Yamada told the press conference that **his team had neglected to add chlorine to the water for hygiene purposes “because we selfishly disliked the smell of chlorine.”**
He’s sorry he got caught.
**EMPEROR’S BOWELS!!** Only twice a year?!?!
I was expecting it to be some only as scandalous as maybe once a week.
Shit, there was probably enough protein and oils in that water to sustain a family of four for months.
I hope the customers cancel their reservations into bankruptcy for this lying idiot.
I wonder how many other places have the same practice of not changing the water?
When you think about how many old people stew in that water
🤢🤮🤮
Maybe introduce a policy that the owner needs to take a sip once a week after every water change.
World’s foulest soup
Hope they start checking them all on the regular now.
Damn imagine accidently swallowing that water…
> Yamada told the press conference that his team had neglected to add chlorine to the water for hygiene purposes “because we selfishly disliked the smell of chlorine.”
Yikes!
OMG…. twice a year? even not twice a month? This is really disgusting.
What I don’t understand is why they waited until the problem became so huge, shouldn’t onsens analyze the water quality regularly and get regular inspections?
I’m curious, if it’s alright for me to ask as a foreigner, has this incident changed the perspective of onsen in Japan? Did it make people think twice about visiting them?