A Japanese hot spring inn with a century-old history, “Daimaru Bessou,” was recently exposed for changing its bath water only twice annually. Health inspectors discovered Legionnaires’ bacteria levels exceeded safety standards by 3700 times, causing at least one customer illness.
Local regulations mandate weekly bath water replacement, yet this long-established hot spring resort failed to comply for extended periods. Reportedly, this inn is among the places former Emperor Hirohito once stayed.
On February 28th, Daimaru Bessou director Yamada Makoto apologized for insufficient chlorine disinfection, admitting this was “completely disregarding customer health—a grave error.” Yamada further explained he had maintained a lax attitude toward regulatory compliance, claiming “I thought Legionnaires’ bacteria was just commonly found ordinary bacteria.” He revealed the inn began not strictly following regulations around December 2019, and pandemic-reduced visitor numbers subsequently increased staff negligence.
Last year, authorities inspected Daimaru Bessou and discovered hot spring Legionnaires’ bacteria levels exceeded standards twofold, but the inn claimed it had properly added chlorine disinfectant. However, the latest health inspection revealed the inn’s hot spring Legionnaires’ bacteria levels exceeded standards by 3700 times.
At the press conference, Yamada Makoto acknowledged falsifying documents, claiming “it had properly applied chlorine disinfection.” Additionally, he stated disliking disinfectant odors was “a selfish reason.”