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Nyuto Onsen
Nyuto Onsen is a village of seven onsen inns in the beech forest below Mount Nyuto, in Akita Prefecture, in the Tohoku region of northern Honshu, within the Towada-Hachimantai National Park.
The gate of Tsurunoyu, Nyuto Onsen
- Prefecture
- Akita
- Region
- Tohoku
- Journeys
- One of our journeys
overview
Seven inns along a mountain stream, each with water of its own.
Nyuto Onsen-kyo is not a town but a scattering of inns, each standing on its own springs in the forest on the slopes of Mount Nyuto, a peak of 1,478 metres named for its rounded summit. The waters change from inn to inn: milky white and smelling faintly of sulphur, clear and soft, or brown with iron. Some inns keep thatched roofs and long timber wings, and all keep open-air onsen among the trees.
The best known is Tsurunoyu, whose long thatched lodge once housed the guards of the lord of Akita when he came to take the waters, and whose milky open-air onsen, ringed with stones and beech trees, is one of the classic images of the Japanese mountain onsen. Each of the other six has its own character, and part of the pleasure of a stay is moving between them.
The village belongs to the forest. Beech woods close in on every side, the stream runs between the inns, and the life of the place is simple: an onsen, a walk among the trees, another onsen, and dinner by the hearth of mountain vegetables, river fish and a hot pot of mountain yam dumplings in miso. Guests of any inn can buy a pass that opens the onsen of all seven, and a small bus runs between them.
Our tours stay overnightOur tours visit for the dayOn a Custom Tour of Japan
see and do
What to see at Nyuto Onsen
Tsurunoyu
A thatched lodge of the Edo period and a milky open-air onsen among the beeches, with four springs of different character drawn from the ground beneath the inn.
The inn by the waterfall
An inn on the mountain stream whose open-air onsen sit at the edge of the water opposite a waterfall, drawing on two springs of different colour and character.
Kuroyu
A cluster of thatched and timber buildings at the head of the valley, with a milky spring that rises beside the stream and steams in the open air.
The mountain stream from the lounge, Nyuto Onsen Magoroku Onsen
A simple inn of wooden buildings by the river, with springs of several kinds, long loved by those who come for the water above all.
Ganiba Onsen
Named for the crabs once found in its stream, an inn with a large open-air onsen of milky water sunk in a clearing of the beech forest, a short walk from the road.
Ogama Onsen
An inn built from an old wooden schoolhouse moved here from the valley below, whose open-air onsen is set in a great iron cauldron.
The beech forest path
A level path through the woods links several of the inns, an easy walk of twenty or thirty minutes from one water to the next.
Lake Tazawa
The deepest lake in Japan, 423 metres, about half an hour down the mountain road, its water a deep, clear blue.
Tamagawa Onsen
A spring of the Hachimantai plateau, about an hour to the north, where the most acidic water in Japan pours from a single source at some nine thousand litres a minute.
experiences
The best of Nyuto Onsen
A day among the springs
A day given to the springs, the pass in hand, taking the waters of three or four inns in turn, with a car or the small bus to carry you between them.
A private onsen
Several of the inns keep private onsen that can be reserved for a time, for a couple or a family who would like the water to themselves.
Dinner by the hearth
An evening meal by an open hearth, iwana, the mountain char, grilled on skewers beside the embers, and a pot of mountain yam dumplings in miso, with sake from a small brewery of the valley.
The forest by day
A gentle walk through the beech woods with a guide who knows the forest, its springs and its marsh plants, the mountain air between one onsen and the next.
plan your visit
Nyuto Onsen on a journey through Japan
- How long to stay
- Two nights, so that a full day can be given to the springs and the forest; The Autumn Leaves Tour of Northern Japan stays two.
- Getting there
- By the Akita Shinkansen from Tokyo to Tazawako in a little under three hours, then about forty minutes by private car up into the forest. Kakunodate is about an hour away, and Akita Airport about an hour and a half.
- Pairs well with
- Nyuto Onsen sits above Lake Tazawa and an hour from Kakunodate, and the three make a natural few days, with the road north over the Hachimantai plateau to Lake Towada and Oirase.Lake TazawaKakunodateOirase and TowadaAkitaHiraizumi
where to stay
Luxury hotels and ryokan at Nyuto Onsen
The only places to stay are the seven inns themselves, and the choice comes down to the water and the style. The Autumn Leaves Tour of Northern Japan stays at the inn on the stream, the most refined of them: a ryokan of dark wood and lamplight, with open-air onsen at the edge of the water, a waterfall across the stream, and two springs of different colour drawn from its own ground.
Tsurunoyu and Kuroyu keep the older, simpler style of the mountain onsen, thatch and timber and lamplit corridors, and are loved by those who come for the water first. Many guests stay at one inn and use the pass to visit the others.
journeys
Tours of Japan that include Nyuto Onsen
Open a journey below for its route, its dates and its price. On dates of your own, a Custom Tour of Japan can bring you here and anywhere else in Japan you would like to go.
questions
Nyuto Onsen: questions answered
What is special about Nyuto Onsen?
Seven onsen inns stand alone in the beech forest, each on its own springs, with waters that range from milky white to clear to iron brown and open-air onsen among the trees. Few onsen villages in Japan keep so much of their old mountain character.
Can you visit all seven Nyuto Onsen inns?
Yes. Guests staying at any of the inns can buy the Yumeguri pass, which opens the onsen of all seven, and a small bus runs between them.
How do you get to Nyuto Onsen from Tokyo?
By the Akita Shinkansen to Tazawako, a little under three hours, then about forty minutes by car into the forest.
What are the onsen like at Tsurunoyu?
The inn is known for its milky open-air onsen among the beech trees, with further onsen indoors and in the open air. The etiquette is simple: wash before you enter, keep the towel out of the water, and keep your voice low.
How many nights should you stay at Nyuto Onsen?
Two, so that a full day can go to the springs and the forest.
What is the water like at Nyuto Onsen?
It varies from inn to inn: milky white sulphur springs at Tsurunoyu and Kuroyu, clear and iron-rich springs elsewhere, some acidic and some gentle. Taking several in a day is the pleasure of the place.
Which Luxury Japan Travel journeys include Nyuto Onsen?
The Autumn Leaves Tour of Northern Japan spends nights at Nyuto Onsen. On dates of your own, a Custom Tour of Japan can include Nyuto Onsen too.
Can Nyuto Onsen be part of a private tour of Japan?
Yes. The Custom Tour of Japan is created around your party alone, on your dates, with your own Tour Director, and it can go anywhere in the country, Nyuto Onsen included. If you would rather travel independently, the Expert Japan Itinerary plans every day for you.
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Nyuto Onsen, planned for you.
Tell us when you would like to travel and what draws you to Nyuto Onsen, and we will answer with the journey that suits you best: one of our published tours, a journey of The Private Collection, or a Custom Tour of Japan created around your party alone.