Hot springs spring up without volcanoes! See the mysteries of the Earth up close at Yuzawa Geopark (Akita Prefecture)

Yuzawa City in Akita Prefecture, which borders Yamagata and Miyagi prefectures, is famous for its local industries such as Inaniwa udon and sake, but as the name "Yu" (hot spring) suggests, it is also a hot spring paradise with many hot springs gushing out, including Oyasukyo Onsen, Oyu Onsen, and Akinomiya Onsenkyo

Yuzawa City is located inland in Akita Prefecture. When hot springs are found there, it is generally assumed that there is a volcano nearby, but even looking around the city, there are no signs of any currently active volcanoes. While there is an active volcano called Mount Kurikoma in neighboring Miyagi Prefecture, it is a little too far away for hot springs to gush forth in Yuzawa City. So why does Yuzawa City have so many hot springs?

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The remains of a volcano from several decades ago provide hot springs

Tracing the history of the Yuzawa area reveals that extremely intense volcanic activity occurred millions to hundreds of thousands of years ago. Over the years, these volcanoes sank deep underground due to crustal movements and other factors, and disappeared from the surface. However, the remains of these volcanoes deep underground continue to be active even today, although they have simply disappeared from the surface

Although Yuzawa City does not have any volcanoes, it is home to Kawarage Jigoku, a barren plateau where sulfur dioxide gas erupts, and Oyasukyo Great Fountain, where high-temperature steam and boiling water erupt. These phenomena are evidence that water is supplied from volcanoes deep underground

Yuzawa City has been certified as a Geopark, a large park that represents the Earth's activities, called "Yuzawa Geopark."

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The geothermal heat beneath the base of Mount Takamatsu, which is not a volcano, reaches 300°C

Mount Takamatsu (1,315m above sea level), where Kawarage Jigoku is located, stopped erupting after its last eruption about 260,000 years ago, but it is said that magma remains underground. According to the Yuzawa Geopark blog, the geothermal temperature at 500m below sea level from the summit of Mount Takamatsu to the surrounding area is 300°C near the summit, 250°C at Kawarage Jigoku, about 2km from the summit, 200°C a little further down near the Kaminodai Geothermal Power Plant, and around 100°C further down around Akinomiya Onsenkyo. Near the Kaminodai Geothermal Power Plant, the temperature is about 100°C near the surface

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Kawarage Jigoku, one of Japan's three most sacred places, where no vegetation grows

Kawarage Jigoku is a tourist spot representing Yuzawa City, one of Japan's leading geothermal regions. High-temperature steam containing hydrogen sulfide, heated by the heat of magma lying deep underground in Mount Takamatsu, erupts onto the surface, creating a desolate white plateau where no vegetation grows and where even animals and insects cannot get close

Kawarage Jigoku became a sacred place of worship when the monk Gesso Osho visited the area in 807 and built Reitsuzan Zentouji Temple (now relocated to Hirotani Temple in Inaniwa, Yuzawa Town). From ancient times to the Middle Ages, it was one of the three major sacred places, along with Mount Osore (Aomori Prefecture) and Mount Tateyama (Toyama Prefecture), and was visited by many ascetics and pilgrims. During the Ashikaga period, Zentouji Temple was moved to a slightly more distant location at the foot of the mountain, and in the Edo period, a sulfur extraction site was established, and as a result, fewer ascetics visited Kawarage Jigoku

Currently, a walking trail has been set up as a tourist spot, making it a valuable place where you can see the Earth's activity up close. However, caution is required when walking around Kawarage Jigoku, as gases containing toxic hydrogen sulfide and boiling water at nearly 100°C are spewing out. Also, from early November to early May, roads along the way are closed due to snowfall, making it impossible to visit

Kawarage Hell <Information>

• Name: Kawarage Hell
• Address: Takamatsu Banzawa, Yuzawa City, Akita Prefecture
• Phone number: 0183-55-8180 (Yuzawa Travel)
• Official URL: Kawarage Jigoku

Google Map

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Kawarage Oyutaki Falls is a hot spring that flows down as a waterfall. The basin at the bottom of the waterfall is a natural open-air bath!

Kawagege Oyutaki is a waterfall where the high-temperature hot spring water flowing from Kawage Jigoku mixes with the stream water and falls 20 meters, creating a natural open-air bath at the base of the falls. The temperature is just right in the summer. Swimsuits are required, and simple changing rooms are provided. It is about a 15-minute walk from the parking lot and a 35-minute walk from Kawage Jigoku parking lot. Admission is free, but the bath is closed from early November to early May. Be aware that it can be cold even in midsummer during rainy weather or during other seasons when the temperature is low

Kawarage Oyutaki Falls <Information>

• Name: Kawarage Oyu Falls
• Address: Takamatsu Ohinouchiyama, Yuzawa City, Akita Prefecture
• Phone number: 0183-55-8180 (Yuzawa Travel)
• Free bathing/swimsuit required
• Official URL: Kawarage Oyutaki Falls

Google Map

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Doroyu Onsen is a hot spring with a high temperature and sulfur content that is likely volcanic

Doroyu Onsen is a hot spring that springs up on the slopes of Mt. Takamatsu, about 2km from Kawarage Jigoku. The hot spring is said to have been discovered about 1,200 years ago, and produces milky, high-temperature sulfur springs. There are two hot spring facilities, and there are places around the facilities where the geothermal heat reaches 100°C, spewing out gas and boiling water containing hydrogen sulfide, so entry is prohibited

"Doroyu Onsen Okuyama Ryokan" is a long-established inn that has been in business since the Edo period. The hot springs draw on sulfur springs (Tengu no Yu), as well as simple hot springs (Shinyu) that well up in the surrounding area, and sulfur springs (hydrogen sulfide type/Kawa no Yu) that have different components than Doroyu, so you can spend a relaxing time enjoying the hot springs. Day trips are also possible

The other, Ogura Ryokan, is a hot spring facility that only accepts day-trip bathers. The hot spring water is acidic. It is closed during the winter (mid-November to April)

Doroyu Onsen <Information>

• Name: Japan Secret Hot Springs Preservation Society Doroyu Onsen Okuyama Ryokan
• Address: 25 Doroyuzawa, Takamatsu, Yuzawa City, Akita Prefecture
• Phone number: 0183-79-3021
• Official URL: Okuyama Ryokan

• Name: Ogura Ryokan *Day bathing only
• Address: 25 Doroyuzawa, Takamatsu, Yuzawa City, Akita Prefecture
• Phone number: 0183-79-3035

Google Map

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Oyasukyo Great Fountain: High-temperature hot springs gushing out from cracks in the rocks

Oyasu Gorge is a V-shaped valley carved out by the erosion of the Minase River, stretching out for 8km. The Oyasu Gorge Great Fountain, where high-temperature hot spring water that had been sleeping underground erupts from a crack in the riverbed with a thunderous roar, is proof of the Earth's active activity. The views from the walking path and the bridge 60m above are spectacular. There is a foot bath at the Minase Tourist and Product Center, which has a parking lot

Oyasukyo Daifunto <Information>

• Name: Oyasukyo Daifunto
• Address: 5-1 Yumoto, Minase, Yuzawa City, Akita Prefecture
• Phone number: 0183-47-5080 (Yuzawa City Tourism and Products Association Minase Office)　
• Official URL: Oyasukyo Daifunto

Google Map

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Oyasukyo Onsen, the largest hot spring in Yuzawa, was discovered in the Edo period

Along the Minase River are Oyasukyo Onsen and Oyu Onsen

Oyasukyo Onsen is a historic hot spring that was discovered during the Edo period, with 11 hot spring inns lined up along the Minase River near the Oyasukyo Great Fountain. The hot springs are alkaline simple hot springs and boast an abundant supply of water

Oyasukyo Onsen＜Information＞

• Name: Oyasukyo Onsen
• Number of properties: 11
• Address: Minase Yumoto, Yuzawa City, Akita Prefecture, and other locations
• Phone number: 0183-55-8180 (Yuzawa City Tourism and Geopark Promotion Division, Tourism and Local Products Section)
• Official URL: Oyasukyo Onsen

Google Map

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Oyu Onsen, a hidden hot spring that springs up deep inside Oyasukyo Onsen

Oyu Onsen is a hot spring located at the uppermost reaches of the Minase River, and its water quality is alkaline sulfur spring water. There are two hot spring facilities. This is a hot spring inn where you can fully enjoy the great outdoors of Oku-Oyasu

Oyu Onsen <Information>

• Name: Oyu Onsen
• Address: Minase 2, Yuzawa City, Akita Prefecture, etc
• Phone number: 0183-55-8180 (Yuzawa City Tourism and Geopark Promotion Division, Tourism and Local Products Section)
• Official URL: Oyu Onsen

Google Map

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Akinomiya Onsenkyo: Six inns each with their own hot spring source

"Akinomiya Onsenkyo" is the collective name for six hot springs scattered around the western foot of Mt. Takamatsu. Each of the six hot springs has its own inn, and each has its own source with a different spring quality. There are also many other unknown, unused hot springs around Mt. Takamatsu, which is where the name "Yuzawa" comes from

Akinomiya Onsenkyo <Information>

• Name: Akinomiya Onsenkyo
• Address: Akinomiya Tonoue, Yuzawa City, Akita Prefecture, and other locations
• Phone number: 0183-55-8180 (Yuzawa City Tourism and Geopark Promotion Division, Tourism and Local Products Section)
• Official URL: Akinomiya Onsenkyo

Google Map

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Uenodai Geothermal Power Plant: Enough Power to Power the Entire City of Yuzawa

The Kaminodai Geothermal Power Plant is a geothermal power plant that generates electricity using high-temperature steam accumulated underground on Mount Takamatsu. Its power output is 28,800 kW (as of 2022), equivalent to the electricity consumption of the entire city of Yuzawa

Kaminotai Geothermal Power Plant <Information>

• Name: Kaminotai Geothermal Power Plant
• Address: Takamatsu Dainichidai, Yuzawa City, Akita Prefecture
• Phone number: 018-848-5312 (Tohoku Electric Power Akita Branch, Planning and Management Department, General Affairs and Public Relations Group)
• Tours: As of 2022, tours are not available (reopening date undecided)

Google Map

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Yuzawa Geopark: Learn about the Earth and have fun

Yuzawa Geopark is home to several caldera remains formed by eruptions between 3 and 7 million years ago. In addition, there are many traces of times when the Earth was more active, such as outcrops where older strata are exposed, creating a spectacular landscape. The Earth is not only home to hot springs, but also to pure fresh water that enriches people's lives and produces many local specialties, such as Inaniwa udon noodles and sake, such as Ranman and Ryoseki. Why not spend your holidays at Yuzawa Geopark, where you can witness the Earth's dynamic activity with your own eyes?

Yuzawa Geopark <Information>

• Phone number: 0183-55-8195
• Official URL: Yuzawa Geopark

Google Map

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