TOKYO: A group of Japanese municipalities and “ryokan” Japanese-style inns launched an initiative on Monday to have culture of hot spring designated as a UNESCO intangible cultural heritage.

“Hot springs are an indispensable part of culture for Japanese people,” Morio Sasamoto, chairman of the Japan Onsen Association, said at an inaugural meeting of a council to promote the designation in Tokyo.

House of Representatives Speaker Hiroyuki Hosoda, who serves as adviser to a group of ruling bloc lawmakers on hot spring culture, said, “I hope that people’s awareness is raised and that they enjoy Japanese hot spring culture.”

The council plans to seek the support of Prime Minister KISHIDA Fumio and work to see the initiative included in the government’s annual basic economic and fiscal policy guidelines due out in June.

The meeting was also attended by Shinji Hirai, Tottori governor and president of the National Governors’ Association, Gunma Governor Ichita Yamamoto and Ishikawa Governor Hiroshi Hase, who are members of a group of 34 prefectural governors backing the effort.

JIJI Press