Shirakawa Spring

The Shirakawa river, which runs through the middle of Kumamoto City, starts here — sixty tonnes a minute coming up out of the ground at a constant fourteen degrees in a pool under trees in the Minami-Aso caldera floor. It is one of the hundred famous waters designated by the Environment Ministry.

The water is drinkable straight from the source and people come with containers. There is a small shrine beside it, cedar trees around it and a village of shops selling soba, tofu and coffee made with it. The charge is ¥100, described as an environmental conservation contribution rather than admission. The nearest station on the Minami-Aso Railway is named after the spring and is fifteen minutes' walk away.