🚄 JROnsen · Tohoku
Nyuto Onsenkyo
Semboku, Akita♨ Sulfur-containing springs, bicarbonate springs, chloride springs, simple sulfur springs and others (varies by inn and source)
Overview
Overview
A secluded hot spring area where seven inns, each with its own source, are scattered through a mountain forest. About 45 minutes by local bus from JR Tazawako Station. On a day trip, you can hop between the different waters of each inn, such as Tsurunoyu, where the thatched-roof honjin still stands.
Tsurunoyu, known for its milky white water, is said to be the oldest hot spring in Akita and is famous for its thatched-roof honjin and mixed-gender open-air bath. Historic single-inn hot springs stand in the forest, such as Kuroyu Onsen, discovered about 330 years ago, and Ganiba Onsen, which opened in 1846. Some stretches between inns can be walked, so you can enjoy a hot spring hopping tour.
- Location
- Semboku, Akita
- Official website
- https://www.nyuto-onsenkyo.com/
Tickets & tours you can book in advancePR
PRKlookJR EAST PASS (Tohoku area)Unlimited rides on JR East Shinkansen, limited express and other trains for 5 or 10 consecutive days. Take the Akita Shinkansen to Tazawako StationView on Klook- PRKlookNaruko Gorge, Kakunodate, Lake Tazawa and Chusonji Autumn 2-Day Tour (from Sendai)A bus tour from Sendai Station visiting Naruko Gorge, the Kakunodate samurai residences, Lake Tazawa, Chusonji and more. In winter, the plan stops at Nyuto OnsenkyoView on Klook
Day-Use Baths
Baths you can visit without staying
Public baths, day-use spas and foot baths open to non-staying visitors.
Ryokan day-use bath
Tsurunoyu Onsen
- Price
- Adults ¥700, children ¥300 (as of October 2026)
- Hours
- 10:00–15:00
- Closed
- Every Monday (for bath cleaning; if a public holiday, the nearest weekday)
- Note
- Four sources: Shirayu, Kuroyu, Naka no Yu and Taki no Yu. Mixed-gender open-air bath available. Visa and Mastercard only for card payments. The inn provides transfers from the Alpa Komakusa bus stop (contact required)
- Official site
- https://tsurunoyu.com/FONDMENT/t-onsen.html
Ryokan day-use bath
Kuroyu Onsen
- Price
- Junior high school students and up ¥800, elementary school students ¥400 (as of October 2026)
- Hours
- 9:00–16:30 (admission until 16:00); Wednesdays 9:00–11:00 (admission until 10:30)
- Closed
- Closed in winter (open from mid-April to early November)
- Private bath
- 2 private baths (¥2,750 per group for 45 minutes, excluding bathing tax)
- Note
- Mixed-gender indoor and open-air baths available. Bath towels are available for rent, and face towels for sale
- Official site
- https://kuroyu.com/facility/
Ryokan day-use bath
Kyukamura Nyuto Onsenkyo
- Price
- Adults ¥800, age 4 to elementary school ¥400 (as of October 2026)
- Hours
- 11:00–15:00 last admission (leave by 15:30)
- Private bath
- No private baths
- Note
- Free-flowing water from two sources: sodium bicarbonate spring and simple sulfur spring. Hours may change during Golden Week, Obon and the New Year holidays. Right by the Kyukamura-mae bus stop
- Official site
- https://qkamura.or.jp/nyuto/oneday/
Prices and hours are as of the date shown and may change, with occasional closures. Check each facility’s official website before you go.
🖋 If you have tattoos
Varies by facility, so check with each one
🔒 Private baths and in-room baths
Kuroyu Onsen has private baths for a fee (during its operating season). Kyukamura Nyuto Onsenkyo has no private baths
Spring
Spring type and features
♨ Sulfur-containing springs, bicarbonate springs, chloride springs, simple sulfur springs and others (varies by inn and source)
Etiquette
Bathing etiquette
- ✓Rinse yourself with hot water (kakeyu) before getting into the bath
- ✓Do not put your towel in the bath water
- ✓Tie up long hair so it does not touch the water
- ✓Do not stare at other bathers in mixed-gender baths
- ✓Do not take photos in the bathing area
Sights
Nearby sights
Tsurunoyu Honjin
The Tsurunoyu inn, lined with thatched-roof buildings. Said to be the oldest hot spring in Akita
Lake Tazawa
A lake about 12 minutes by bus from Tazawako Station. You can stop by on the way to Nyuto Onsenkyo by bus
Tips
Good to know
- !Local buses run about once an hour, so check the return times first
- !Some inns stop day-use admission around 15:00, so it is best to start in the morning
- !Kuroyu Onsen closes for winter from early November
Access
Access
- Nearest station / bus stop
- Tazawako Station (JR Akita Shinkansen)About 45 minutes by the Ugo Kotsu Bus Nyuto Line from in front of the station, about once an hour
- From major cities and airports
- Tazawako Station: Ugo Kotsu Bus Nyuto Line (bound for Nyuto Onsenkyo) (About 45 minutes)
- Akita Airport: Reservation-only shared taxi Akita Airport Liner Nyuto (book by 17:00 the day before) (About 2 hours 40 minutes)
Travel Passes
Travel passes for getting there
🚄 JR
🚄 JRWhere to Stay · Agoda
Places to Stay near Nyuto OnsenkyoPR
Prices and availability are shown on Agoda.
Events
Events and festivals in Kakunodate, Lake Tazawa & Nyuto Onsen
FebruaryYokote Kamakura Festival
Tohoku ・ Kakunodate, Lake Tazawa & Nyuto Onsen
From 2026, held every year on the second Friday and Saturday of February (the Friday and Saturday just before the Bonden events; changed to the second Friday and Saturday on a trial basis through 2029)
2027: Feb 12 (Fri) & Feb 13 (Sat)
AugustAkita Kanto Festival
Tohoku ・ Kakunodate, Lake Tazawa & Nyuto Onsen
Every year August 3–6 (night kanto on all 4 days; daytime kanto = Myogi Taikai skills competition on the 4th–6th)
Attractions
Attractions in Kakunodate, Lake Tazawa & Nyuto Onsen
ZooAkita Omoriyama Zoo
Tohoku ・ Akita City, Akita
A zoo in Omoriyama Park run by Akita City. As of August 2026, it keeps 524 animals of 88 species. Admission is free for high school students and younger, and with the Anipa amusement park and large play equipment on site, families can spend a whole day here.
AquariumOga Aquarium GAO
Tohoku ・ Oga, Akita
An aquarium on the Sea of Japan coast of the Oga Peninsula. It has a large tank recreating the Oga sea, exhibits of polar bears, seals, penguins, and more, and a museum devoted to hatahata (sandfish), an Akita specialty. From Akita Station, take the JR Oga Line to Oga Station (about 1 hour), then a bus or shared taxi.
☂ Mostly indoors · rain-friendly
Onsen
Onsen towns in Tohoku
♨ OnsenGinzan Onsen
Tohoku ・ Obanazawa, Yamagata
♨ Day use Adults ¥500, elementary school students and younger ¥200 (as of October 2026)
♨ Onsen
♨ Onsen
♨ OnsenAizu Higashiyama Onsen
Tohoku ・ Aizuwakamatsu, Fukushima
♨ Day use Adults: weekdays ¥1,000, weekends and holidays ¥1,100, peak days ¥1,650; elementary school students ¥500–¥700 (as of October 2026)
Private baths
Prices, hours, tattoo policies and spring types are based on official facility, municipal and tourism association information. They can change, so check the official websites before you go.
Last checked: 2026-10-08