List of Exquisite and Well-Conserved Waters
The Ozenosato Katashina Springwater Group was designated as one of the 100 Exquisite and Well-Conserved Waters of the Heisei Period as its high water quality and the activities
that have been carried on for many years by village people, such as cleaning, tree planting, the conservation of mountains and forests, and other environmental activities, were recognized.
The Ozenosato Katashina Springwater Group includes all spring waters in Katashina Village.
Map of Exquisite and Well-Conserved Waters
Since the sources of some exquisite waters are located deep in the mountain forests that are protected
under the natural environment protection policy, people are not allowed to enter the forests.
Therefore, Katashina Village built water withdrawal facilities at ten places in the village
to provide tasty water to people who want to have fresh spring water.
Each facility draws water from the nearest water source.
(In cases where drawing water from the source is difficult geographically, the water is drawn from a water reservoir for running water that has the same water source.
Water Quality Analysis Data
| Name of Spring Water | Hardness | pH | Amount of Water Withdrawn (liter/minute) | Legal Control | Winter Season |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water of the Goddess of Kannon (Mizanori) | 22.0 | 7.6 | 18 | × | 〇 |
| Shimizu of Ikancho (Tsuchiide) | 55.0 | 8.2 | 11 | × | × |
| Megumi of Hotaka (Hanasaku-no-yu Spa, Hanasaku) | 18.0 | 7.7 | 14 | 〇 | × |
| Demizu of Hanasaku (Noborito, Hanasaku) | 18.0 | 7.7 | 16 | × | × |
| Hotaka Yusui (Hotaka Ranch, Hanasaku) | 16.0 | 7.6 | 10.8t | × | × |
| Hananotani Yusui (Hananotani Park, Kamada) | 22.0 | 7.5 | 16 | × | × |
| Marunuma Kogen Ryosui (Marunuma Kogen Ski Resort) | 28.0 | 7.3 | 3 | 〇 | × |
| Oze Iwakura Yusui (White World Oze Iwakura) | 28.0 | 7.3 | 19 | 〇 | × |
| Tokura Yusui (Purari Hall in Tokura) | 19.0 | 7.8 | 1.5 | 〇 | × |
| Oshimizu Yusui (Oshimizu, Tokura) | 19.0 | 7.4 | 10 | 〇 | × |
| Water of the Goddess of Kannon (Mizanori) | |
| Hardness: 22.0 | pH: 7.6 |
| Amount of Water Withdrawn (liter/minute): 18 | |
| Legal Control: × | Winter Season: 〇 |
| Shimizu of Ikancho (Tsuchiide) | |
| Hardness: 55.0 | pH: 8.2 |
| Amount of Water Withdrawn (liter/minute): 11 | |
| Legal Control: × | Winter Season: × |
| Megumi of Hotaka (Hanasaku-no-yu Spa, Hanasaku) | |
| Hardness: 18.0 | pH: 7.7 |
| Amount of Water Withdrawn (liter/minute): 14 | |
| Legal Control: 〇 | Winter Season: × |
| Demizu of Hanasaku (Noborito, Hanasaku) | |
| Hardness: 18.0 | pH: 7.7 |
| Amount of Water Withdrawn (liter/minute): 16 | |
| Legal Control: × | Winter Season: × |
| Hotaka Yusui (Hotaka Ranch, Hanasaku) | |
| Hardness: 16.0 | pH: 7.6 |
| Amount of Water Withdrawn (liter/minute): 10.8t | |
| Legal Control: × | Winter Season: × |
| Hananotani Yusui (Hananotani Park, Kamada) | |
| Hardness: 22.0 | pH: 7.5 |
| Amount of Water Withdrawn (liter/minute): 16 | |
| Legal Control: × | Winter Season: × |
| Marunuma Kogen Ryosui (Marunuma Kogen Ski Resort) | |
| Hardness: 28.0 | pH: 7.3 |
| Amount of Water Withdrawn (liter/minute): 3 | |
| Legal Control: 〇 | Winter Season: × |
| Oze Iwakura Yusui (White World Oze Iwakura) | |
| Hardness: 28.0 | pH: 7.3 |
| Amount of Water Withdrawn (liter/minute): 19 | |
| Legal Control: 〇 | Winter Season: × |
| Tokura Yusui (Purari Hall in Tokura) | |
| Hardness: 19.0 | pH: 7.8 |
| Amount of Water Withdrawn (liter/minute): 1.5 | |
| Legal Control: 〇 | Winter Season: × |
| Oshimizu Yusui (Oshimizu, Tokura) | |
| Hardness: 19.0 | pH: 7.4 |
| Amount of Water Withdrawn (liter/minute): 10 | |
| Legal Control: 〇 | Winter Season: × |
How to evaluate water quality
The good taste of water is proven by sensory evaluations and water quality testing.
The waters of the Katashina Springwater Group fully satisfy the criteria of tasty water.
Even those who are not water gourmets
can recognize the good taste of these waters.
What is spring water?
Rain and snow that fell on the mountains gradually penetrate into the ground and are
filtered naturally over a long period of time.
The water gathers underground, forming a flow like a river. This flow is called subsoil water.
Spring water is the subsoil water that gushes out to the ground surface
along the hillside or at the foot of mountains.
What is hardness?
It is a figure expressing the amount of calcium carbonate that is converted from the amount of dissolved calcium and magnesium in the water.
- Soft water：0～60mg/L
- Medium soft water：60～120mg/L
- Hard water：120～180mg/L
Conditions and hardness of tasty water
In general, water whose hardness is from 10 to 100 mg/L is said to be good, tasty water.
The hardness of the spring water of Katashina ranges from 18 to 55 mg/L,
which supports its good taste.
The effect of water hardness on cooking
It is said that the dissolved calcium and magnesium in water subtly affect the taste of cooked food.
While soft water is suited for cooking Japanese dishes, hard water is suited for dishes,
such as stew. Since the water of Katashina Village is soft water,
it is particularly suited for Japanese tea and dishes.
What is pH?
It indicates the concentration of hydrogen ions in a solution.
While pH7 is neutral, lower values are more acid and higher values are more alkaline.
A pH between 6.5 and 8.5 is said to be the best for drinking water.
The pH of spring waters in Katashina Village lies within the range of 7. 3 to 8.2.
