Yuwaku Onsen is a 1,300-year-old hot-springs resort tucked between mountains along the Asano River south of Kanazawa. Ten mid-size traditional inns line its slim main street, leading to a small hillside shrine and a man-made pond.
Earlier this month, I shuffled behind a procession of lantern-bearing priests and local residents in yukata (summer kimono) for the town¡¯s seventh annual Bonbori Matsuri (lantern festival). Some 15,000 other tourists joined me.
We weren¡¯t there for the inns, which had been booked months ago. The one-day Bonbori Festival has become Yuwaku¡¯s biggest draw. Six hundred attended the first event in 2011; this year¡¯s numbers are 25 times that. Local officials peg the town¡¯s single day¡¯s earnings at more than $100,000. Not a windfall, but a boost to a rural economy in Japan¡¯s aging and neglected hinterlands.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.