Yubara, Okayama

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Yubara (湯原町, Yubara-chō^?) was a town located in Maniwa District, Okayama, Japan. On March 31, 2005, Yubara and several nearby municipalities merged to form the new city of Maniwa.

In 2003 the town had an estimated population of 3,310 and a density of 23.41 persons per km². The total area was 141.37 km².

The historic town is nestled in a ravine and follows the meandering path of the Asahi river. The village is surrounded, on all sides by trees clinging to the hillsides. (There are small logging operations in the region that the bus passes on the way into town.) In the morning a fog drifts across the river's banks obscuring the dam and the town's many hot spring hotels that dot the valley floor—truly a beautiful sight to behold.

Its principal business is tourism and fly-fishing is a popular pastime; it is mostly catch-and-release. The sportsmen are generally campers and there is a camper parking lot down by the rivers edge to accommodate them, which makes a perfect place to skip rocks. One really cool feature is a single lane suspension bridge that visibly dips when a car crosses. There are walking trails, one of them leads to the lake behind the dam, be prepared with bug spray.

This is an eight hundred year old vacation destination that includes a free open-air bath that is in pools alongside the river. The outdoor bath is unisex.