"It's really important to preserve the Japanese culture of onsen and the identity that is so important to Japan, so that needs to be protected at all costs," Watanabe said.
The energy company behind the geothermal power plant was formed by the owners of numerous facilities that depend on hot spring-related tourism, representing a new cooperative approach.
Residents in Tsuchiyu Onsen have sought to balance generating geothermal power and preserving the hot springs that have made it a destination for over a thousand years.
While it's an outlier in Japan, Tsuchiyu Onsen isn't the only locale where residents have sought to balance preserving hot springs with generating geothermal power.
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