Wachi no Okatsura (huge Japanese Judas tree in Wachi)
The huge Japanese Judas tree in Wachi is a big tree spanning a mountain stream. It is designated as Hyogo Prefecture’s natural monument. About 5,000 tons of water gushes out from the upper ground by the tree every day. The temperature of the water is as low as about 10C°. The water is excellent in all respects such as chromaticity, turbidity, odor, and taste. It is soft water with an extremely high purity. So, it is suitable for making coffee and green powdered tea and simmering vegetables. It is also gentle to skin and therefore suitable for the first bath for newborn babies. In June 2008, this famous water “Katsura no Sennensui” (Japanese Judas tree’s millenary water) was designated by the Ministry of the Environment as one of the “100 Exquisite and Well-Conserved Waters of the Heisei Period.” There are drinking cups near the huge tree (in the Tajima Plateau Botanical Gardens). Besides, a vending machine along the road in front of the botanical gardens sells this water.
