This guide covers the milky-white baths, the thatched honjin, the beech forest and the practical details for reaching Nyuto Onsen from Tazawako.
Tsurunoyu Onsen has a milky-white mixed-gender outdoor bath, along with white-water and black-water baths whose springs differ in quality.
Quick Facts
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Bus ride from JR Tazawako Station to Nyuto Onsenkyo | About 45 minutes |
| Bus fare from JR Tazawako Station to Nyuto Onsenkyo | 820 yen |
| Tsurunoyu day-bath fee for adults | 700 yen |
Tsurunoyu: White Water and the Thatched Honjin
The Yama-no-yado annex draws its hot spring water from the Tsurunoyu main building, and the water is a cloudy white natural hot spring.
The honjin, a thatched-roof long house where guarding samurai were stationed, is used as a lodging building in its original form at Tsurunoyu Onsen. The thatched-roof honjin is a building where guards stayed when the second lord of the Akita domain visited for hot-spring cure. The thatch is re-thatched every few decades.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Hot spring sources within 50 m of Tsurunoyu | Four sources, each with a different spring quality |
| Baths at the Yama-no-yado annex | Two private-use indoor baths and one outdoor bath |
Taenoyu, Okama and Ganiba: Water Colours and Beech Forest
Taenoyu has two types of springs, the gold bath and the silver bath. The gold bath changes colour with the weather and oxidation, but is basically a cloudy bath. The spring of the silver bath is colourless, clear and silky.
The overflowing water at Okama Onsen is greenish. The mixed-gender outdoor bath at Ganiba Onsen sits in the beech forest. In the spring thaw, just the area around the base of the beech trees melts into a round hole, a phenomenon called the beech root-opening.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Walk from the Ganiba main building to the outdoor bath | About 50 m |
| Nature walking course, an easy promenade | About 60 minutes, 4 km |
Day-Bath Fees, Opening Times and Closed Days
The tables below list the figures for each bath.
| Bath | Day-bath fee |
|---|---|
| Tsurunoyu | 700 yen for adults, 300 yen for children |
| Taenoyu | 1,000 yen for adults, 500 yen for children |
| Ganiba | 800 yen for adults |
| Okama | 700 yen for adults |
| Magoroku | 700 yen for adults, gender-separated indoor baths |
| Kyukamura Nyuto Onsenkyo | 800 yen for adults, 400 yen for ages 4 to elementary school |
| Tsurunoyu towel | 200 yen |
| Magoroku mixed-bathing zone | Surcharge of 2,300 yen |
| Bath | Opening times |
|---|---|
| Tsurunoyu | 10:00 to 15:00 |
| Taenoyu | 10:30 to 15:00, reception ends at 14:00 |
| Ganiba | 9:00 to 15:30 at last reception |
| Okama | 9:00 to 16:00 |
| Magoroku | 10:00 to 14:30 at reception, exit at 15:00 |
| Kyukamura Nyuto Onsenkyo | 11:00 to 15:00 at last entry, leaving by 15:30; hours may change in Golden Week, Obon and the New Year period |
| Bath | Closed day |
|---|---|
| Tsurunoyu | Every Monday for bath cleaning |
| Tsurunoyu on a public holiday Monday | The cleaning day moves to the nearest weekday |
| Taenoyu | Tuesday |
| Ganiba | Wednesday |
| Okama | Thursday |
| Magoroku | Friday |
Lunch and Tours at Nyuto Onsen
The tables below list the lunch prices.
| Lunch at Kyukamura Nyuto Onsenkyo | Price |
|---|---|
| Kakeudon (hot udon) with tempura | 1,450 yen |
| Hiyashi udon (cold udon) with tempura | 1,500 yen |
| Katsu curry | 1,480 yen |
| Plain kakeudon (hot udon) | 1,000 yen |
| Plain hiyashi udon (cold udon) | 1,050 yen |
| Vegetable curry | 1,000 yen |
| Lunch at the Iori restaurant | Detail |
|---|---|
| Lunch service | 11:00 to 13:00 |
| Closed day | Wednesday |
| Yama-no-imo nabe set | 1,500 to 2,500 yen |
| Soba and udon | From 800 yen |
Visitors who prefer to join a tour can browse tours around Nyuto Onsen.
Getting to Nyuto Onsen from Tazawako
The routes to Nyuto Onsen start from Tazawako and Akita.
- Take the Akita Shinkansen from Akita Station to Tazawako Station, which takes 60 minutes.
- Take the Ugo Kotsu Nyuto line bus from JR Tazawako Station toward Nyuto Onsenkyo, which takes about 45 minutes.
- Pay the bus fare, which is 820 yen.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Limousine bus from Akita Airport to Akita Station | 40 minutes |
| Akita Airport Liner Nyuto-go, travel time from Akita Airport | About 2 hours 40 minutes |
| Akita Airport Liner Nyuto-go, fare from Akita Airport | 6,700 yen |
| Booking deadline for the Akita Airport Liner Nyuto-go | 17:00 on the day before use |
| Taxi from JR Tazawako Station to Taenoyu | About 30 minutes, around 7,000 yen |
| Drive from Akita Airport to Tsurunoyu | About 120 minutes, 90 km |
| Free parking | Space for 100 vehicles in the outdoor lot |
| Studless tyres | Fit from mid-November, when snowfall is typically recorded, until late April |
Visitors planning a longer visit can browse places to stay around Kakunodate and Semboku.
Where to stay
Places to stay near Kakunodate →
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