Oga Onsenkyo Village

It is said that the Oga Onsenkyo Village ( Yumoto Onsen and Ishiyama Onsen) was discovered during the Daido Period (806-810) by Sakanoue no Tamuramaro, and the first records of people bathing in it date from the Edo Period.
Through the Meiji and Taisho Eras, Ishiyama Onsen was called Ishiyama Stone Mountain Mine before it had flourished as a onsenkyo village around 1955. At this place, limestone had mined in the way of open-air digging for selling to Ani and Hanaoka region.
Oga Hot Springs Village opened in 1955. Through the Meiji and Taisho Eras, it was known as Stone Mountain Mine and is said to have been the site of open-air digging for limestone used in gold and silver solvent. It is said that the hot spring was discovered long ago during the Daido Period (806-810) by Sakanoue no Tamuramaro, and the first records of people bathing in it date from the Edo Period.

Recently, Oni no Kakuremichi Rocks, or Ogre’s Hidden Road is called affectionately named to which the “Oni, or Ogre’s” is added.Oni no Kakuremichi Road, or Ogre’s Hidden Road, is affectionately named for to its association with the Oga no Namahage ogres. This railway cutting was used to transport limestone by minecart. As well as being a good place to observe the limestone deposits, it also has an air of ancient times.

The stratum on Nomura Beach is called the Western Waterspout Stratum and although it contains many small fossils of foraminifera, radiolaria, and diatoms, there are not many fossils of shells and such that can be seen with the naked eye. This means that this stratum was from a deep ocean without many large lifeforms.

Located just to the north of Oga Onsenkyo Village. In December, when the sailfin sandfish swims up to the shore to lay its eggs, the entire beach turns a yellow brown from its coating of fish eggs. This magnificent spectacle can only be seen in the winter.