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Akita ♨ Hot spring 📷 1

Akinomiya Hot Springs

秋ノ宮温泉郷

A hot-spring destination where the bath itself is the sightseeing.

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Best season Year-round, best in cold months (Nov–Mar)
Time needed 1–3 hours (half a day with a meal)
Admission Day-use bath roughly ¥500–1,500 (≈ $3–9)
Opening hours Typically 10:00–21:00; day-use hours vary by inn

Photos

Photos from Wikimedia Commons — click any image for the photographer and licence.

What this place is

The Akinomiya Hot Springs also known as Aki no Miya Onsenkyo is a thermal spring system and hot springs village in the Akinomiya Geothermal Area located along the western base of Mount Kurikoma in Akita Prefecture, Japan, (formerly Dewa Province, and after the Meiji era, Ugo Province).There are more than 50 hot springs and fumaroles in the area.According to legend, the hot springs are the oldest in the prefecture.They were established 1,200 years ago.The onsen at Akinomiya were officially recognized in the Edo period (1603-1868) by the Akita Clan.Some of the well known springs within the system include Inazumi, Takanoyu, Yunodai, Yunomata, among others found along the Yakunai River.Takanoyu Onsen is one of the better known hot springs of the Akinomiya Hot Springs region.

Background text from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)

Why it is worth the trip

  • Mineral-rich water that locals have soaked in for generations — each source has its own temperature, colour and smell.
  • A bathing town you can wander in a yukata, with steam drifting between wooden inns and public baths.
  • Open-air rotenburo tubs framed by mountains, river valleys or the sea, which change completely with the season.

What you can do here

  • Take a day-use bath (higaeri onsen) even without staying overnight — most inns open their baths in the afternoon.
  • Try the free foot baths (ashiyu) dotted around town for a quick warm-up between stops.
  • Buy a bath-hopping pass and compare two or three different sources in one afternoon.
  • Eat the local onsen specialities — steam-cooked eggs, puddings and vegetables sold near the sources.

Getting there

We do not have step-by-step transit directions for this spot yet. Open the location on Google Maps for routes from where you are staying.

Area: Akita

Route on Google Maps

Good to know before you go

  • Wash and rinse at the shower stations before entering the tub; the bath water is shared.
  • Some traditional baths still restrict tattoos — look for tattoo-friendly inns or private family baths (kashikiri).
  • Bring a small towel; larger bath towels are usually rented or sold at the counter.

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