[Nyuto Onsenkyo Travel Guide] Enjoy a Special Experience in Japan’s Timeless Rural Landscape

The greatest charm of Nyuto Onsenkyo is its atmosphere, which feels as though a hot spring retreat from more than 100 years ago has been left just as it was.
In Japan, a country rich in hot springs, there has long been a culture called toji, in which people stayed at hot springs for extended periods to recover from illness.
Toji lodgings were created so guests could bring their own food, cook for themselves, and live there for a certain period of time.
Today, very few such places remain, and there are not many places where you can still experience that atmosphere.
That is exactly why the scene of thatched-roof hot spring inns at Nyuto Onsenkyo is so special, and it would not be an exaggeration to say it can only be seen here.
The rich natural surroundings that spread around the inns and the spectacular views from the open-air baths are also part of the appeal.
Whether it is an open-air bath surrounded by beech forests or a bathhouse where you can soak while looking out over mountain streams and waterfalls, bathing right in front of grand nature is an experience unique to a hidden hot spring retreat.

Nyuto Onsenkyo has seven different hot spring sources, and each bath differs in color, aroma, and feel on the skin.
Visiting these baths and comparing them is called “hashigoyu,” or bath-hopping.
By bath-hopping, you can experience the differences in the waters, the atmosphere of the inns, and the scenery at each bath.
Even while staying in one hot spring village, you can be surprised by how different the spring waters are and discover your own favorite bath.
However, please keep in mind that bath-hopping among hot springs with different mineral qualities in a single day can be hard on the body.
You may want to try all seven, but if you feel even a little tired, take breaks, stay hydrated, and be selective about which baths you enter so you can enjoy the experience while taking care of yourself.
If you plan to go bath-hopping, the “Yumeguri-cho” is recommended for overnight guests only. This value pass allows day-use admission to all seven baths for just 1,800 yen.
It is sold only to guests staying at one of the seven inns, and pass holders can also ride the shuttle bus that circles Nyuto Onsenkyo.

At Nyuto Onsenkyo, enjoy not only the hot springs and stunning scenery but also local food you can only taste here.
If you stay overnight, each inn will welcome you with thoughtfully prepared local dishes made with ingredients from Akita.
Typical Akita ingredients include large nameko mushrooms, daikon dressed dishes, and stir-fried royal fern, with many dishes featuring wild mountain vegetables.
One famous Akita specialty is “iburigakko,” smoked daikon radish pickles.
Some inns also serve char grilled over charcoal in a traditional irori hearth.
Onsen eggs are also sold, and since they are inexpensive and easy to try, be sure to pick one up if you get a little hungry while bath-hopping.
The dark-colored eggs may surprise you, but once peeled, the egg inside is glossy and pale in color, and when eaten with a little salt, a faint hot spring aroma spreads in your mouth.

This is one of the most popular hot spring inns in Nyuto Onsenkyo.
Deep in the mountains, far from any village, it has the atmosphere of a hidden settlement once used by samurai.
That makes sense, as this was once a therapeutic retreat for the lords of the Akita Domain, and the long thatched-roof row house now used as guest rooms was originally used as quarters for attendants guarding the second lord, Satake Yoshitaka, during his visits for hot spring therapy.
The main open-air bath, famous as one of the representative views of Nyuto Onsenkyo, is mixed-gender. It may take some courage for women to enter, but because the water is cloudy, you will not feel too self-conscious once you are in.

Kuroyu Onsen is located deepest in the area.
It is said to have been discovered around 1674, giving it a history of more than 350 years, and it can be enjoyed not only for overnight stays but also for day trips.
Located upstream along the Sendachigawa River and surrounded by beech forest, it offers both the charm of the spring water and the quiet of the mountains.
It has two spring sources and is said to have the greatest volume of hot spring water in Nyuto Onsenkyo. There are open-air baths and indoor baths, and its historic utaseyu waterfall-style bath is also one of its specialties.

Kyukamura Nyuto Onsen is the most modern facility in Nyuto Onsenkyo.
Recently renovated, it offers convenience, cleanliness, and a modern feel while still being part of this historic hot spring village.
Its baths include “Nyuto no Yu,” a reddish-brown bicarbonate spring that is slightly lukewarm and is said to help with cuts and burns, and “Tazawako Kogen no Yu,” a milky white sulfur spring that is slightly hotter and is said to help with high blood pressure and arteriosclerosis.
There are two types of natural free-flowing hot spring baths.

After passing through the famous Sengan Tunnel near the border of Akita and Iwate prefectures, you will find the roadside restaurant Sengan Toge no Chaya Tazawako Main Store.
Founded in 1966, this historic drive-in has long been loved as a rest stop for travelers crossing the mountain pass.
It also offers a full lineup of classic drive-in meals, including ramen, soba, udon, set meals, rice bowls, and curry rice.

At Oshokujidokoro An, located inside Yama no Yado, the annex of the hot spring inn Tsurunoyu in Nyuto Onsenkyo, you can enjoy a meal around a traditional irori hearth.
Popular menu items include salt-grilled char and yama no imo nabe.
Yama no imo nabe is a local dish from the Tazawako area, where Nyuto Onsenkyo is located, and is a miso-based hot pot filled with vegetables and dumplings made from sticky mountain yam.

In front of Tazawako Station stands Tazawako Ichi, a local products market created inside a former traditional house.
This retro-style market has the charm of an old residence and sells local farm products, regional specialties, and local sake.
Inside is a small specialty soba restaurant with around 20 seats. It is called Towari Sobadokoro Soba Goro, and as the name suggests, its signature dish is 100% buckwheat soba.

This lake is the deepest in Japan, with a depth of 423.4 meters.
Its breathtaking cobalt-blue surface has made it one of Akita Prefecture’s most scenic spots, and it has also been selected as one of Japan’s 100 famous landscapes.
In 2022, the moon rising over Lake Tazawa was recognized as one of Japan’s 100 best moon views, adding another layer to its appeal. In the evening, the sky turns crimson, and at dusk, it becomes purple, with the changing colors reflected on the lake’s surface in a view well worth seeing.

Dakigaeri Gorge is a 10-kilometer-long gorge that stretches along the middle reaches of the Tamagawa River flowing between Lake Tazawa and Kakunodate.
It is said to have gotten its name because the mountain path was once so narrow and steep that when people passed each other, they had to hold one another as if in an embrace.

This shrine is said to have been named in 1769 by Masudo Soso, a haiku poet and samurai of the Akita Domain.
It is also called Ukiki Shrine because it is said to enshrine a floating log that drifted ashore.
Standing as if it juts out over the lake, it creates a mysterious sight when viewed from a little distance away, making the shrine building appear to float on the water.
The contrast of the white wooden shrine, the clear blue lake water, and the rich greenery surrounding it creates a landscape that captivates all who see it.