Hot Spring Businesses Block Geothermal Energy in Japan
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Japan has more than 100 active volcanoes and the third-largest amount of geothermal resources in the world. However, the country has not started using the renewable energy because of opposition from the hot spring industry.
Hot springs, or “onsen” in Japanese, are a major business in Japan. Onsen are similar to public baths or spas and are often part of hotels.
Yoshiyasu Sato, the vice president of the Japan Onsen Association is against geothermal energy. Sato worries that building geothermal energy plants might negatively affect the natural temperature of the water and the amount of water.
However, after the 2011 earthquake and tsunami disaster, the town of Tsuchiyu Onsen in Fukushima Prefecture built a small geothermal plant. The plant has not changed the quality or amount of water in the onsens.
Money from selling the plant’s electricity has paid for renovations of old buildings in the town. The money also pays for free bus rides for seniors and children.
It is estimated that Japan has around 23 gigawatts of geothermal energy, which is equal to about 20 nuclear power plants. However, just 0.3% of the country’s energy comes from the natural resource.
Only the United States and Indonesia have more geothermal energy.
Kasumi Yasukawa, from a government energy agency, says that geothermal plants don’t affect the water that onsens use. She hopes that the onsen industry will change its opinion about geothermal energy.
Vocabulary27 words
- Active
- currently happening; currently working
- Volcano
- ?; a mountain or hill that sometimes explodes and hot earth, gas and smoke come out
- Geothermal
- heat that comes from inside the Earth
- Geothermal resources
- natural sources of heat that come from inside the Earth and can be used to generate/make electricity or heat buildings
- Renewable energy
- energy generated/created from renewable sources (wind, solar, water, etc.)
- Opposition
- resistance; objection; disagreement; dislike; disapproval; people saying “no”
- Hot spring
- a natural pool of hot water that comes from underground
- Industry
- business field; area of work or business; type of business
- Public bath
- a place where people can go to bathe and relax, often with hot water from a hot spring
- Part of
- connected to/with; involved with; to be included
- Vice president
- a person who is under the president; the second most important person
- Association
- a group of people/organizations that come together; union; partnership;
- To be against something
- to go against something; to disagree; to oppose
- Plant
- a factory; a place where a product is built or made
- Negatively affect
- to cause harm/damage or have a bad impact; to make worse
- Earthquake
- a natural event where the ground shakes and moves suddenly and strongly, caused by the movement of rocks deep beneath the earth's surface
- Tsunami
- a large, powerful wave in the sea caused by an earthquake or volcano that can destroy many things
- Disaster
- A sudden and terrible event, such as an earthquake, flood, or fire, that causes great harm and damage
- Quality
- how good or bad something is; condition;
- Electricity
- power; current; energy used to operate lights, TVs, etc.
- Pay for
- to exchange money for goods or services; to give money and get something in return
- Renovation
- to upgrade; to make better; to make modern; rebuild
- Estimate
- guess; approximate; judge; suppose
- Gigawatt
- a unit of measurement for electric power, equal to one billion watts
- Nuclear power plant
- a facility that generates electricity through the use of nuclear reactions
- Nuclear power
- atomic energy; electric power generated by a nuclear reactor
- Agency
- an organization, company, or department that provides a service; bureau
Discussion questions
- What is your opinion on using geothermal energy in Japan? Do you think it's a good idea or not? What are the advantages and disadvantages?
- How do you think the onsen industry in Japan can be persuaded to support the use of geothermal energy?
- Have you ever visited an onsen? If so, what was your experience like? If not, would you like to visit one in the future? Are you comfortable being naked around strangers?
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