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The joy of visiting seven hidden hot springs: Nyuto Onsenkyo
Overcoming a crisis and making a comeback! Magoroku Onsen is a hidden hot spring spot that sauna lovers must visit
Kuroyu Onsen is a hot spring village with a bubbling hot spring source. It is located at the very back of the hot spring village and has a history dating back to the Edo period. The source is next to the inn, and you can see the hot springs bubbling up. In addition to the open-air bath, the waterfall bath is especially good.
Nyuto Onsenkyo (Semboku City, Akita Prefecture) is located at the foot of Mount Nyuto in Towada-Hachimantai National Park. Seven inns are scattered among the beech forest, each with its own unique hot spring source from which hot springs of various qualities gush forth. In the 2024 "Top 100 Hot Springs of Japan" list, voted for by travel agency staff and others, it ranked 19th nationwide and 2nd in the Tohoku region. In the "Reasons for Selection" section, it ranked 15th for "Atmosphere" and 14th for "Water Quality." It is popular as a coveted hidden hot spring.
Tsuru no Yu is a secret hot spring inn that has been in operation since the Edo period. It has the longest history in the Nyuto Onsen area and was once a hot spring resort for the lord of Akita. The thatched-roof tenement house "Honjin," where guards were stationed, still remains.
The seven inns in Nyuto Onsenkyo are Tsuru no Yu, Taenoyu, Kuroyu Onsen, Kaniba Onsen, Magoroku Onsen, Okama Onsen, and Kyukamura Nyuto Onsenkyo. As the "Seven Inns and Seven Baths," the seven inns have come together to work for many years to attract visitors, develop the region, and brand it.
Taenoyu is a modern Japanese hotel nestled by a mountain stream. The beautiful Sendatsu River flows past the eaves, and listening to the babbling of the river while soaking in the open-air bath is the best! The attentive service and atmosphere are popular with women.
The community also overcame the crisis together. In 2010, Magoroku Onsen was faced with the situation of having to give up on continuing its business due to the lack of a successor and a lack of personnel. In response, the other inns came together with the belief that "Nyuto Onsenkyo is one with seven baths" and "Do not let the light of Magoroku Onsen go out," and jointly invested in the area to take over the management of Magoroku Onsen.
Magoroku Onsen is a hot spring inn and mountain medicinal bath that has been preserved to this day. It will reopen in April 2025, preserving the atmosphere of a therapeutic hot spring resort. The mountain medicinal bath can be enjoyed in a mixed bath where bathing suits are required. It also has the only barrel sauna in Nyuto Onsenkyo.
Magoroku Onsen was renovated with the help of the Japan Tourism Agency's subsidized project "Regional Tourism Destination and Tourism Industry Revitalization and High Added Value Project," and reopened in April 2013. While retaining the charm of the hidden hot spring known as the "medicinal hot spring of the mountains," it has been reborn as a private inn called "Magoroku Onsen - Rokuan." In addition to being able to enter the mixed outdoor bath wearing bathing attire, be sure to check out the barrel sauna, the only one in Nyuto Onsenkyo!
The "Yumeguricho" is a must-have item for touring the Seven Baths
The Yu Meguricho allows you to bathe at seven facilities (Tsuru no Yu, Taenoyu, Kaniba, Okama, Magoroku, Kuroyu, and Kyukamura). It is sold exclusively to hotel guests and costs 2,500 yen (1,000 yen for children). It is available at the front desk of each facility.
The "Yumeguricho" (2,500 yen for adults, 1,000 yen for children) is available exclusively to guests staying at Nyuto Onsenkyo, and allows you to enjoy the charms of each of the seven hot springs. It is sold at the front desk of each facility. The ticket is valid for one year from the date of purchase, and allows you to bathe at each of the seven baths once. What's more, it's a great deal as it also allows you to ride the "Yumeguricho" shuttle bus that circulates within Nyuto Onsenkyo.
The Yu Meguri-go shuttle bus that circulates within Nyuto Onsenkyo can be boarded with the Yu Meguricho. Day trippers can also purchase the Yu Meguri Map (1,000 yen).
The "Yu Meguri Map" (1,000 yen), which can also be purchased by day-trip bathers, does not include the bathing fee, but on the day of purchase it allows unlimited rides on the "Yu Meguri-go" bus. If you're planning a day trip to visit the seven hot springs, this is a must-have item.
Kaniba Onsen is an open-air bath in a detached inn in the mountains. It was named "Kaniba Onsen" because many crabs live in the nearby stream. The open-air bath is located in a virgin forest about 50 meters from the inn, and you can enjoy the hot spring while feeling the change of the seasons.
Seven inns in Nyuto Onsenkyo established a business cooperative in July 2011. The organization has revamped its structure from a voluntary organization known as the hot spring association to the Nyuto Onsenkyo Cooperative Association, approved by the prefectural governor, and is strengthening its efforts in branding, attracting and welcoming tourists, and securing human resources.
Okama Onsen A nostalgic wooden school building. A unique inn that was relocated from a wooden school building. The interior of the building has a nostalgic atmosphere. A foot bath in a bucket is also set up in the summer.
As part of the branding effort, "Nyuto Onsenkyo" in Semboku City, Akita Prefecture was registered as a regional collective trademark in April 2012. The Nyuto Onsenkyo Cooperative Association applied for the trademark in September 2011, shortly after its establishment, and the registration was approved by the Japan Patent Office. The association hopes to protect the regional brand, strengthen competitiveness, and revitalize the local economy, so future efforts will be worth watching.
Kyukamura Nyuto Onsenkyo Beautiful beech forest and modern facilities. A quiet inn surrounded by a beautiful beech forest. The most modern facility in Nyuto Onsenkyo.
Nyuto Onsen Village
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Nyuto Onsenkyo Cooperative Association, Lake Tazawa, Senboku City, Akita Prefecture