ABOUTOkamotoya’s Shin-Toji Wellness

For 150 years, Okamotoya has carried forward the healing traditions of Myoban, preserving the culture of Toji while refining its wisdom for the needs of modern travelers. Our hot spring is a traditional sulfur-rich source that has long been used for treating skin conditions. In recent years, its high metasilicate content has also made it known as a spring that nurtures healthy, beautiful skin. The rising steam of Myoban and the quiet atmosphere of our inn together create an environment where both body and mind can gently return to balance.

With this history and setting as our foundation, we offer "Okamotoya’s Shin-Toji Wellness". It is a new style of retreat that blends the traditional knowledge of Toji with contemporary perspectives on wellness, beauty, and medical care. Time immersed in the bath, deep and restful sleep, a body allowed to recover, a mind slowly released, and meals prepared with care using the gentle technique of jigoku-mushi steaming.

A retreat experience and a Shin-Toji Wellness journey that only Okamotoya can provide. We invite you to relax, unwind, and enjoy this restorative time to your heart’s content.

WELLNESS PACKAGEOur Shin-Toji Wellness Packages

STAYSample Schedule for a Shin-Toji Wellness Stay

Immerse yourself in the nature and hot springs of Myoban, and gently restore your natural rhythm. Here is a simple example of how your day may unfold.

ADD-ONSOptional Experiences to Deepen Your Shin-Toji Wellness Sta

Enhance your stay with optional activities that allow you to personalize your wellness journey. Choose from unique Myoban experiences such as medical support through molecular nutrition, yoga lessons at a local studio, hot-spring dyeing workshops with local artisans, and more.

• MEDICAL:Orthomolecular therapy, chelation, detox support (Mukui Hospital)
• BEAUTY & HEALTH:Yoga lessons
• CULTURE:Hot spring dyeing workshop (Onsen Museum)
• SPORTS:Golf (Ogiyama Golf Club)

sceneWho This Wellness Retreat Is For

The Shin-Toji Wellness Plan is a retreat-style stay that values the healing power of hot springs, nourishing meals, and quiet, restful time. It is especially recommended for those who wish to reset, restore, and care for themselves. A moment in the gentle steam and calm of Myoban helps you return to your natural rhythm.

• For those who want to reset daily fatigue

  A restful break away from everyday life to relax both body and mind.

• For those who wish to build a healthier body and mind

  Good sleep, good meals, and good hot springs for a slow, mindful reset.

• For those who want to enhance their beauty through Toji

  Soothing hot spring water that nurtures both skin and spirit, helping you regain your natural glow.

EVIDENCEWhat Modern Science Reveals About Toji

Toji, Japan’s traditional healing practice, grew out of people’s lived experience. Long before science could explain it, the benefits of hot springs were clear, and the spring at Okamotoya was known for easing skin conditions.
In modern times, research on mineral composition and therapeutic effects has advanced, and Beppu became a leading region in using hot springs as part of medical care.
Today, we can better understand how Okamotoya’s Shin-Toji Wellness supports beauty, health, and medical well-being. Here, we present the scientific findings that help explain these benefits.

Certified as a “BARRIER OASIS Onsen” for Skin-Moisturizing Benefits

POLA and the City of Beppu are working on a system that scientifically verifies and certifies the beauty effects of hot springs, rather than relying only on personal impressions.
In 2025, POLA and the Oita Pharmaceutical Association analyzed the components of Okamotoya’s spring water and studied how it affects the skin’s stratum corneum and sebum. Based on these results, our hot spring was certified as a “Barrier Oasis Onsen,” recognized for its ability to support moisturized, healthy skin.

Anti-Aging Benefits of
Hot Spring Steam-Cooking
(Jigoku-Mushi)

In 2013, a study by Beppu University reported intriguing findings about jigoku-mushi, a traditional hot spring steam-cooking method that uses the natural geothermal steam of Myoban Onsen. The research confirmed that foods prepared through this method may help prevent lifestyle-related diseases by suppressing weight gain and lowering blood glucose levels. Positive changes were also observed in activity levels and memory, suggesting potential future benefits related to dementia prevention.
This gentle and mineral-rich steam-cooking method is a unique gift of hot spring regions. At Okamotoya, we incorporate hot spring steam-cooked dishes as part of a wellness-focused stay.

Reference:“Study on the Anti-Aging Effects of Beppu Jigoku-Mushi Foods,” Beppu University Bulletin, No. 54 (2013)

The Power of
Our Hot Spring Water:
92.7% Inactivation Effect

A viral inactivation test conducted by Goodi Co., Ltd., a venture company originating from Gunma University, examined how Okamotoya’s hot spring water affects SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19). The results showed that our spring water demonstrated a high inactivation rate of 92.7 percent.

Scientific Evidence of
Hot Spring Benefits

Impact of Hot Spring Bathing on the Gut Microbiota

In a joint study conducted by Kyushu University, the Beppu City Ryokan and Hotel Association, and the City of Beppu, researchers examined how hot spring bathing affects the gut microbiota. Participants bathed for approximately 20 minutes each day for one week in five different types of hot springs found in Beppu: chloride springs, simple springs, bicarbonate springs, sulfur springs, and sulfate springs. Stool samples were collected before and after the one-week bathing period to analyze changes in the gut microbiota.