The volcanic thermal activity in this area heats the local waters to provide natural and therapeutic hot springs. The clouds of steam escaping from fissures in the rocks created an eerie and surreal atmosphere. The local custom is to boil eggs in the hot pools until their shells turn a charcoal black.
Legend has it that for every black egg consumed, six years are added to one's life.
Owakudani is truly a unique spot that again exemplifies the Japanese belief in the relationship between nature and one's good fortune.