Soft-serve ice cream made with hot spring water—drawn from deep underground near JR Kyoto Station—is now being sold at the hotel "Kyo-Yumoto Hatoya Zuihokaku" in Shimogyo Ward, Kyoto. By incorporating the hot spring water into both its lodging and dining offerings, the hotel is actively promoting the concept of "Kyoto Hot Springs."
During a renovation in 2014, Kyo-Yumoto Hatoya Zuihokaku discovered a hot spring source approximately 910 meters underground. The hotel has since developed various products utilizing this water, including "hot spring beer" and "hot spring pudding," and added the soft-serve ice cream to its lineup last year.
The soft-serve is blended with sweet *koji* (malted rice) and salt, offering a refreshing sweetness complemented by a subtle, salty undertone. It is priced at 660 yen for dine-in or 600 yen for takeout.
Amidst a dense concentration of lodging facilities in Kyoto, an increasing number of hotels are incorporating hot springs to distinguish themselves from the competition. Kyo-Yumoto Hatoya Zuihokaku is one of 22 hot spring facilities in the city that have formed the "Kyoto City Hot Spring Tourism Revitalization Council," an organization dedicated to enhancing the appeal of Kyoto’s hot springs.
Yoriko Iwai (65 years old), an executive director at Kyo-Yumoto Hatoya Zuihokaku, says, "I want guests to bathe in the hot spring and enjoy the soft-serve ice cream—to experience the hot spring with all five senses."
