News Luxury onsen changed water only twice a year

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A famous luxury onsen in Fukuoka that traces its history back to the 8th century was found to having violated the prefectural ordinance stipulating that the water in its main bath had to be changed every week. They had changed it only twice a year.

Daimaro Besso

The Futsukaichi Onsen Daimaru Besso inn only changed the water in its large bath two days a year, when the inn was closed, according to Fukuoka prefectural officials and other sources. The inn continued to let guests use the bath in such conditions, however. The water is supposed to be changed at least once a week. The inn also regularly failed to put chlorine in the hot water and maintain the required concentration of the chemical in the bath. The prefectural health center has scrutinized the large bath's hygienic conditions as it found last year that it contained up to 3,700 times the allowed maximum number of bacteria from the Legionella genus. The inn's management company declined to comment, telling the media that it will not make public details of its business.
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A Fukuoka prefectural ordinance requires the entire amount of hot water in a public bath to be changed at least once a week if it is filled with circulated and filtrated hot water and is used daily.

Daimaro Besso prides itself on having been mentioned in Japan's classic tale Man'yoshu and having hosted the Showa Tenno.



In case you're still planning to book:

Daimaro Besso Onsen

Daimaro Besso Onsen

An onsen spring in Fukuoka has been operating since at least the 8th century; tradition and hospitality have been passed down since its founding in 1865. Natural hot spring water from its source continuously runs to the Daimaru Besso’s large bath--a method to supply water to an onsen bath called...
 
Today, Makoto Yamada, former president of the Daimaru Besso, where legionella bacteria 3,700 times the allowable limit had been detected in its hot-spring bathwater, was found dead in an apparent suicide.

The officials said a passerby found Yamada, 70, on a mountain road in Chikushino, Fukuoka Prefecture, around 7:00 a.m. and reported to police. They believe he took his own life, as a farewell note was discovered in a car nearby. He apologized in the note, saying he was responsible for everything, according to police. [...] Investigators questioned Yamada for around 6 hours and requested that he come to the police station on the following day to check seized items. He responded in a detached tone, officials said. "We would like to express our sincere condolences to the man who passed away," Eiji Kodama, an official of the prefectural police, said in a statement. "We believe there were no problems in how the police dealt with the case."
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www.japantimes.co.jp

Ex-president of Fukuoka inn with contaminated hot-spring water dies in apparent suicide

Former president of a century-old inn in Fukuoka Prefecture where legionella bacteria 3,700 times the allowable limit had been detected in its hot-spring bathwater, was found dead Sunday.
www.japantimes.co.jp www.japantimes.co.jp
 
thomas said:
Today, Makoto Yamada, former president of the Daimaru Besso, where legionella bacteria 3,700 times the allowable limit had been detected in its hot-spring bathwater, was found dead on Sunday in an apparent suicide.

www.japantimes.co.jp

Ex-president of Fukuoka inn with contaminated hot-spring water dies in apparent suicide

Former president of a century-old inn in Fukuoka Prefecture where legionella bacteria 3,700 times the allowable limit had been detected in its hot-spring bathwater, was found dead Sunday.
www.japantimes.co.jp www.japantimes.co.jp
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Sheesh. If one is so weak as to commit suicide after getting caught for knowingly committing crimes like this it's better to just follow the rules in the first place.
 
I was thinking to post about this myself. It was the suicide I intended to focus on.

I don't know enough details and I doubt we ever will.

But I do know that the reponse to Covid has ravaged many businesses like this and it may have been that the onsen was close to bankruptcy. I read that he told employees it was okay to be lax because there were so few people using the water. He was wrong of course, but he may have genuinely believed that. Severe money problems is the only reason I can think of why he was even not adding chlorine....I don't think its that expensive.

The man was 70 years old. He probably never had a scandal in his life. The business he was trying to save all this time, if that's it, is probably ruined now....reputaton is important. And this made national headlines.

And I don't think 6 hours of interrogation by police helped much. I have had so many bad experiences with them just seeing a police car sets me off.

Yeah he made a bad call and we can only guess as to why. Someone could have gotten sick, but it seems no one did. So it seems a bit much to have made the water problem national news.
 
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Master of Time said:
I was thinking to post about this myself. It was the suicide I intended to focus on.

I don't know enough details and I doubt we ever will.

But I do know that the reponse to Covid has ravaged many businesses like this and it may have been that the onsen was close to bankruptcy. I read that he told employees it was okay to be lax because there were so few people using the water. He was wrong of course, but he may have genuinely believed that. Severe money problems is the only reason I can think of why he was even not adding chlorine....I don't think its that expensive.

The man was 70 years old. He probably never had a scandal in his life. The business he was trying to save all this time, if that's it, is probably ruined now....reputaton is important. And this made national headlines.

And I don't think 6 hours of interrogation by police helped much. I have had so many bad experiences with them just seeing a police car sets me off.

Yeah he made a bad call and we can only guess as to why. Someone could have gotten sick, but it seems no one did. So it seems a bit much to have made the water problem national news.
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The sad part is that he got warned last year, it wasn't made national news so he had a chance to do the right thing without getting shamed nationally. Or at least more of the right thing.
Probably if he only had the water changed once a month rather than the required 52 times/year and used chlorine occasionally as prescribed it would have been within limits and they wouldn't have gotten caught.
 
mdchachi said:
The sad part is that he got warned last year, it wasn't made national news so he had a chance to do the right thing without getting shamed nationally. Or at least more of the right thing.
Probably if he only had the water changed once a month rather than the required 52 times/year and used chlorine occasionally as prescribed it would have been within limits and they wouldn't have gotten caught.
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I can't say any of that isn't true, every bit could be. Then again, without customers there is no money, and even the cheap options are unaffordable. We just aren't ever going to know what really happened.

What we do know is that he paid the highest price for his decisions and/or situtuation while people who have done far worse took a bow and then went to go play some golf.

As shocking as the numbers are I bet my own house has more shocking numbers of pathogens. I would not lick my bathtub for gold.

And there are loads of other things we could be getting some hard hitting news reports on. Even if we call him a demon, he was a minor one at best.
 
mdchachi said:
Sheesh. If one is so weak as to commit suicide after getting caught for knowingly committing crimes like this it's better to just follow the rules in the first place.
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What a horrible take.

I'm sorry, I don't care what this guy did. The guy killed himself. We have no idea what the hell was going on in his head when this happened, after it happened, or now...oh, wait. Nothing's going on in his head now because he's ******* dead.

This guy was born, he had a life, and a family. Do you think he grew up thinking, I want to break the rules and skimp out on effort and money and hopefully I won't get caught, but if I do -- hey, I can just kill myself.

People who commit suicide are "weak"? Is this where we are in the 21st century? Why don't you ask ChatGPT if suicide is for the "weak" -- maybe it can teach you some compassion.
 
Here, I did it for you:

Are people who commit suicide weak?

The owner of a luxury onsen in Fukuoka that traces its history back to the 8th century was found to having violated the prefectural ordinance stipulating that the water in its main bath had to be changed every week. They had changed it only twice a year. This became a major news story in Japan...
jref.com jref.com
 
bentenmusume said:
What a horrible take.

I'm sorry, I don't care what this guy did. The guy killed himself. We have no idea what the hell was going on in his head when this happened, after it happened, or now...oh, wait. Nothing's going on in his head now because he's ******* dead.

This guy was born, he had a life, and a family. Do you think he grew up thinking, I want to break the rules and skimp out on effort and money and hopefully I won't get caught, but if I do -- hey, I can just kill myself.

People who commit suicide are "weak"? Is this where we are in the 21st century? Why don't you ask ChatGPT if suicide is for the "weak" -- maybe it can teach you some compassion.
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Apologies, I didn't mean it in that sense. But I see how that could sound. I meant it in the general sense of "if you can't do the time, don't do the crime."
But reading again, I see how it reads as insensitive. From the outside looking in, it just seems so so preventable and sad for no good reason.
 
Likewise, I apologize for my overly emotional response. Needless to say (and as you probably gathered from my recent farewell thread and the fact that -- for whatever ungodly reason -- I keep coming back here), I'm not in the best headspace right now, so I perhaps maybe am identifying a bit too much with people who do stupid **** and end up suffering because of it.

I agree that the whole situation is sad and unfortunate for really everyone involved and affected.
 
mdchachi said:
Apologies, I didn't mean it in that sense. But I see how that could sound. I meant it in the general sense of "if you can't do the time, don't do the crime."
But reading again, I see how it reads as insensitive. From the outside looking in, it just seems so so preventable and sad for no good reason.
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Far be it for me to start making claims of "bad faith" or "looking for a debate" (where debate means a fight).

No. I believe what you say, and I am greatful that someone you will listen to has come back to show the light.

For myself, I have been known to say I don't walk on eggshells. But I guess I did here. Now its just a question of my motive.
 
Master of Time said:
I believe what you say, and I am greatful that someone you will listen to has come back to show the light.'
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If this is referring to me, I just want to say for the record that I am not here to show anyone "the light".

On the contrary, I am struggling with mental illness, have zero confidence in anything at all I am saying, and am posting here more out of addiction and reflex than for any meaningful or logical purpose.

I haven't been following this discussion so I have no idea what if anything your issues are with mdchachi or anyone else on this board, but my posts are not an agreement with or critique of any person or individual. Please understand this.
 
bentenmusume said:
If this is referring to me, I just want to say for the record that I am not here to show anyone "the light".

On the contrary, I am struggling with mental illness, have zero confidence in anything at all I am saying, and am posting here more out of addiction and reflex than for any meaningful or logical purpose.

I haven't been following this discussion so I have no idea what if anything your issues are with mdchachi or anyone else on this board, but my posts are not an agreement with or critique of any person or individual. Please understand this.
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No, he has issues with me and most everybody here who has bothered to engage with him. Please don't worry about it.
 
bentenmusume said:
If this is referring to me, I just want to say for the record that I am not here to show anyone "the light".
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All I mean is that you did a good job and a good thing.

I don't know what you are going through or if this helps....but smart people are sensitive.....and you seem pretty smart to me.
 
Your weakness of the mind ?
Hey, just say fk it and get on with life.
You know by now the shrink docs can only pollute your mind with minute drops of LSD in all their meds. Just stay away for them. Smoke some pot in a water bong filled with Japanese wine like Akadama wine Akadama (wine) - Wikipedia

Are you on a drug called " resperidal " ?
 

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