Asaka: Promoting Beauty, Health, and Regional Revitalization through Hot Springs

2023/05/30

My life changed completely on September 6, 2015. While crossing a crosswalk on a green light, I saw a car in my left field of vision. In the moment I thought "Oh!", I was slammed to the ground with the tires crushing the toes of my left foot. I can still never forget the sensation of my leg bending in a strange direction.

Until then, I had appeared in fashion shows and advertisements as a model, but the world is not so sweet that a person who cannot wear high heels and is difficult to work with can survive. I had overcome various obstacles before, such as colorectal cancer, but this time there was nothing I could do.

While I was visiting hot springs for recuperation after colorectal cancer surgery and for leg rehabilitation, some aftereffects remained in my leg, but the surgical scars from the colorectal cancer became almost clean. I knew that hot springs could be expected to have the power to support the recovery period after an illness, but the impact of seeing it firsthand was significant.

I also have atopic dermatitis, but my skin condition became stable enough that it was unnoticeable to others. I began to think that if I combined the knowledge of beauty and health I gained during my modeling days with the benefits of hot springs, I could make both the body and mind healthier. When you soak in a hot spring, your heart also relaxes, so you can easily chat even with people you meet for the first time just by sharing the water. Also, just going to the extraordinary setting of a hot spring resort can refresh your feelings.

Two years prior, I had already been writing a serialized hot spring column for a Mainichi Shimbun-affiliated web medium, triggered by obtaining a Hot Spring Sommelier qualification recommended by my friend, actress and singer Yuka Onishi, who knew my love for hot springs well. However, I decided to start working in the hot spring field in earnest.

We often hear the term "hot spring for beautiful skin," but it is hardly known what kind of skin-beautifying effects can be expected. In fact, it is completely different depending on the spring quality, such as removing excess sebum and dead skin cells or having moisturizing power. My current job is to convey these clearly through the media. I am also working on regional revitalization centered on hot springs, such as supervising tourism PR for local governments and being involved in the "Onsen General Election," a hot spring resort revitalization project sponsored by five ministries and agencies.

In many Western countries, research on hot springs has progressed, medical effects have been proven, and hot spring therapy is recognized as a medical act. Japan also has plans for National Health Resort Hot Spring Areas and medical expense deductions, but it is still lagging behind. I want to bring Japan to the same level as the West as soon as possible. I also want to focus on supporting young people.