The Daimaru Besso inn in Chikushino, Fukuoka, has finally reopened its spa (Picture: Google)
A hotel boss has landed in hot water after potentially deadly bacteria was discovered in his guest spa.
Makoto Yamada, the president of the company that owns the ryokan (traditional guesthouse) in the Japanese city of Chikushino, has admitted the water in the spa bath was only changed twice a year.
A health inspection of the 158-year-old onsen at the Daimaru Besso inn detected legionella bacteria at 3,700 times the permitted level, CNN reported.
The traditional Japanese bath at the hotel uses water from volcanically heated hot springs, so Mr Yamada thought it was ‘safe’.
Local regulations state it should have been changed weekly, but the management at the hotel admitted it was only done once every six months.
Mr Yamada bowed deeply at a press conference before apologising for the lack of action.
He said: ‘I was not aware of the law myself and thought legionella bacteria was a common bacterium that could be found anywhere.
‘I also thought that it was safe because the large baths were free-flowing so the water was changed quite often.’
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Mr Yamada confirmed that his team had neglected to add chlorine for hygiene purposes ‘because we selfishly disliked the smell of chlorine’.
The baths were temporarily shut down after the bacteria were detected last year but have returned to being fully operational.
The hotel’s website read: ‘Our bath waters come from the Futsukaichi Onsen, which has been flowing for over 1,300 years, a symbol of the unchanging history of the area.
‘Futsukaichi Onsen has been visited by government dignitaries and priests for centuries.’
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An inspection detected legionella bacteria at 3,700 times the permitted level.
