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Japanese resorts in hot water for turning on the taps

Soaking in a tub of piping-hot spring water is as much a part of Japanese life as karaoke, but unscrupulous innkeepers in some of the country's best-known spa resorts are in hot water of their own after they admitted filling their baths from the hot tap.

At least seven of 55 inns and public bath houses in the spa resort of Ikaho, about 180km north of Tokyo, said recently they had filled baths with tap water after mineral-rich springs started to run dry. Their admission prompted 4,000 cancellations from appalled tourists.

Ikaho is known for its iron-rich waters, which were first piped to the surface 400 years ago. Tens of thousands of people visit the town every year seeking the purported therapeutic effects of the reddish-brown water.

Several inns in the spa resort of Shirahone said they had added bath salts to give the waters their trademark milky-white hue. The waters, which are said to have medicinal qualities, reportedly started to lose their natural color 10 years ago. After that, the trickle of embarrassing revelations became a deluge. Other inns owned up to misleading guests, angering Japan's millions of hot-spring enthusiasts and prompting calls for tighter regulations.

The innkeepers have not broken any laws, however. Under a 1948 law, anyone who discovers a source of water 25?C or hotter can open a bath house.
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