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[Part 1] Three public baths in a small hot spring town that opened over 920 years ago! | Akayu Onsen, Yamagata Prefecture

  • ikoke ikoke
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Akayu Onsen, located in the southern part of Yamagata Prefecture, known as the hot spring kingdom, has a hot spring town just a 5-minute drive or 30-minute walk from the station, where the JR Yamagata Shinkansen also stops

It is a small hot spring town with 14 inns, each with its own unique style, including pet-friendly inns and inns that are like art museums. In this small hot spring town, public baths that are close to the daily lives of local residents have been renovated, and day-trip baths that are loved by tourists as drop-in baths are scattered throughout the town

We will introduce the history and health benefits of Akayu Onsen, focusing on the newly renovated public baths

Please enjoy until the end

What is Akayu Onsen? What are its benefits?

It is said that the hot springs first appeared in 1093 (Kan'ei 7) when Yawata Taro Yoshitsuna, who was accompanying the unification of Oshu, received a divine revelation and discovered the hot springs. Legend has it that when wounded soldiers bathed in the water, it turned red and their wounds were healed, which is why it came to be called "red hot spring."

Akayu Onsen a historic hot spring that will celebrate its 930th anniversary next year in 2023 .

What is the quality and efficacy of Akayu Onsen's water?

Akayu Onsen has three hot springs, and unusually for a single hot spring resort, it has two types of hot springs . The names of the hot springs are "Morinoyama Hot Spring," "Morinoyama No. 2 Hot Spring," and "Yugawara Hot Spring."

Mori no Yama hot spring is a sulfur-containing, sodium- and calcium chloride spring, and is said to have many medicinal properties and provide many benefits.

The Yugawara hot spring is a simple spring with gentle ingredients and little irritation, making it popular as a hot spring that even people with sensitive skin can bathe in safely .

In both cases, the water is colorless and transparent, and no deposits can be seen with the naked eye

There are three public baths in this small hot spring resort! Were there more before?

Akayu Onsen has six public baths (communal baths): Akayu Motoyu, Azumayu, Eboshi no Yu, Oyu, Tambayu, and Towa no Yu. There are also 14 hot spring inns, as well as foot baths and drinking fountains, which speak to the abundance of hot spring water .

Oyu and Tambayu were closed early on due to a lack of successors and aging, leaving four public baths, but Eboshiyu, which has its own hot spring source, has remained, and the others have been merged and renovated, leaving only three in operation today

Information on each public bath

We will introduce the characteristics and bathing fees of each of the three public baths

Eboshiyu

This hot spring is located in a residential area. It has not been rebuilt and is quite old, but the quality of the hot spring is excellent, as it has its own hot spring source .

What's more, the best thing about this place is that even the showers and faucets are hot spring water. You can enjoy the hot spring to your heart's content, and the bathing fee is only 120 yen! It's a wonderful hot spring. It's so popular that it makes the neighbors jealous.

Eboshi-yu ＜Information＞

  • Name: Eboshiyu
  • Address: 356-2 Akayu, Nanyo City, Yamagata Prefecture
  • Business hours: 6:00-11:30 / 14:00-21:30
  • Closed: Fridays
  • Admission fee: 120 yen *100 yen for elementary school students and younger (same for all public baths) *Free for children under 3 years old
  • URL: Nanyo City Official URL (Akayu Onsen Public Bath)
  • Spring quality classification: sulfur-containing sodium calcium chloride hot spring
  • Efficacy categories: Cuts, skin diseases, gynecological diseases, burns, diabetes

Google Map

Akayu Motoyu

Located in the center of Akayu Onsen town, Akayu Motoyu has two hot spring baths, so you can enjoy the different bathing styles. The bathing fee is 240 yen. As it is a public bath, soap and shampoo are not provided, so please remember to bring your own

The effects are also common to Akayu Onsen, and are excellent for cuts, burns, chronic skin diseases, chronic gynecological diseases, weak children, and diabetes

Photo by ikoke
Photo by ikoke

at the entrance, but it has a separate entrance, and there is also a foot bath next door. It's fun to take a look inside after your bath.

Akayu Motoyu <Information>

  • Name: Akayu Motoyu
  • Address: 754-2 Akayu, Nanyo City, Yamagata Prefecture
  • Business hours: 8:00-14:00 / 15:00-21:30
  • Closed: Wednesdays
  • Admission fee: 240 yen *100 yen for elementary school students and younger (common to all public baths) *Free for children under 3 years old
  • URL: Nanyo City Official URL (Akayu Onsen Public Bath)
  • Spring quality classification: sulfur-containing sodium calcium chloride hot spring
  • Efficacy categories: cuts, skin diseases, gynecological diseases, burns, diabetes

Google Map

Yukotto

Photo by ikoke

The new facility, Akayu Onsen Yukotto, took over the Azumayu and Towa no Yu public baths of Akayu Onsen and opened on June 5, 2022. Barrier-free private baths are also available (reservations required).

The general bathing fee is 300 yen, and you will be given a disposable shampoo and body soap at the entrance. What's more, towels are sold and available for rental, so you can easily bathe even if you come empty-handed!

There are two bathtubs, one lukewarm and one hot, and the water is a mixture of two types of hot spring water, drawn directly from the source

The rest area was spacious and surprisingly even had a wine vending machine . Akayu is a region with a long history of winemaking, with grape cultivation thriving and four long-established wineries and two newer wineries.

It's so nice to be able to drink delicious wine after a bath! Don't worry, we also have freshly squeezed grape juice for those who are driving

Yukotto <Information>

  • Name: Yukotto
  • Address: 3004-1 Akayu, Nanyo City, Yamagata Prefecture
  • Business hours: 6:00-22:00
  • Closed: Tuesdays (Thursdays if Tuesday falls on a public holiday)
  • Admission fee: 300 yen *100 yen for elementary school students and younger (common to all public baths) *Free for children under 3 years old
  • URL: Akayu Onsen Yukotto
  • Spring quality classification: sulfur-containing sodium calcium chloride hot spring
  • Efficacy categories: Cuts, skin diseases, gynecological diseases, burns, diabetes

Google Map

It's nice to stay overnight, but I also recommend stopping by for a quick bath! Let's go to Akayu Onsen!

Akayu Onsen has a history of nearly 930 years. There are three public baths in Akayu Onsen, one of which is Yukotto, which was newly established in June this year after taking over from two other public baths

All three public baths have excellent spring quality and each has its own unique characteristics, making them very attractive facilities. Akayu Onsen is a hot spring resort that makes you want to go bath-hopping, with a retro Showa-era public bath, a public bath with a foot bath and souvenir shop attached, and a public bath that is barrier-free and even has a wine-drinking option

Why not drop by and check it out? We also recommend taking breaks between baths to avoid getting sick from the baths!

Tohoku Rokken Trivia Media NEFT
[Part 2] A stone monument related to Suishinshi Masahide in Akayu! | Akayu Onsen, Yamagata Prefecture
https://jp.neft.asia/archives/17323
Let's go to Akayu Onsen! In Part 1, we mainly introduced the hot springs. This time, while reporting on Akayu Onsen, we found a stone monument dedicated to Suishinshi Masahide, famous for his role in the popular content "Touken Ranbu," which is said to have sparked the sword boom. https://jp.neft.asia/archives/17291 We'll introduce Akayu's other attractions besides the hot springs, as well as the connection between Suishinshi Masahide and Akayu, which we came across during our walk, and his accomplishments. Please enjoy until the end. What is Akayu in Nanyo City? Photo by ikoke Speaking of Akayu, there's Akayu Ramen Ryu Shanghai, which is extremely famous and popular in Yamagata...
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