[Yuzawa City, Akita Prefecture] Oyasukyo Daifunyu is a hot spring, but you cannot enter it! The sight of steam gushing out from everywhere is like something out of a movie!

Along National Route 398 near the prefectural border of Miyagi, Iwate, and Akita prefectures, there is a hot spring spot where bathing is prohibited, which is rare even in Japan. Oyasukyo Daifunyu suggests, it is a fantastic scenic spot where steam rises up!

What is Oyasukyo Daifunto?

forming Oyasu Gorge , a V-shaped valley approximately 60 meters deep Oyasukyo Daifunto a geothermal reservoir containing steam and hot water on the walls on both banks of the Minase River , and the cracks leading to the geothermal reservoir have been exposed due to the erosion of the Minase River. It refers to the topography.

It is included in Kurikoma Quasi-National Park is certified as a geosite of Yuzawa Geopark

It is a very rare tourist spot even in Japan, where you can see not only steam rising from everywhere, but also hot water of nearly 100 degrees gushing out in some places.

According to a local information board, Masumi Sugae, , also visited this area and said, ``There was a great sound like the sound of the god of thunder, and hot water was gushing out like water bursting.'' He wrote in his Takamatsu diary ``the hot water shot up 9 to 12 meters, crossed the river and hit the rocks on the other side...'' , so in the Edo period the hot water was gushing out even more forcefully than it is now. I can imagine it must have been amazing.

call the large hot spring ``Karafuke''

Access to Oyasukyo Daifunto

Oyasukyo Gorge is basically accessed by car, so use the Daifunyu parking lot at the Minase Tourism and Products Center

It's spacious enough that you can easily park your car even during the most crowded autumn foliage season, so you should be able to park your car without any problems. It's convenient because it's right next to the downstream entrance to Oyasukyo Daifunyu!

There are two entrances

The large hot spring has two entrances, one on the upstream side and one on the downstream side.

The stairs on the upstream side are quite long straight stairs, and the stairs on the downstream side start opposite the large parking lot of the tourist product center and are relatively gentle winding stairs.

This time I used the downstream entrance as it is easily accessible from the parking lot.

Although it's relatively gentle, it's quite a tough hike as it's a staircase going down into the valley. You can also rent walking sticks at the entrance, so don't hesitate to use them if you're not confident! Don't forget to return it!

I borrowed two and used them like trekking poles. Pretty easy!

In the first half, the stairs are relatively gentle, as shown in the photo, but in the second half, the descent becomes steeper and steeper.

As you go down, you can see many waterfalls, large and small. It seemed like water was gushing out from everywhere.

Finally, let's go to Oyasukyo Daifunyu

After about 10 minutes from the Daifunyu parking lot, you will arrive at the promenade that runs right next to the Daifunyu. You can see faint steam in the foreground, but you can see even more steam rising up the stairs.

There are only a few places where you can use the promenade, but the gorge itself is 60m deep and 8km long.

A mysterious and spectacular view that will make you feel like you have wandered into the world of movies and stories!

When you reach the top of the stairs, you will see to your left a rocky area across the river where hot water is constantly dripping and steam is thick.

And when you look to the right... there is a place where hot water is gushing out with incredible force! The force of the hot water is so strong that it reaches the promenade...

It looks like this when expanded. It's a shame that the sound doesn't travel, but it's quite loud. Whoosh! Or rather, gooooo! It's like that.

Depending on the level of eruption, the area in front of you may become completely white and you may not be able to proceed. In fact, at this time too, it was quite hot near the steam and felt a little dangerous. Depending on the day, you may have to choose to turn back instead of forcing your way through.

Unlike a hot spring, the sight of hot water gushing out from all over a natural valley is indescribably mysterious, and it's a breath of nature, or perhaps a sign of the greatness of the earth...it's an overwhelming sight.

You will feel as if you have wandered into the world of a movie or story.

By the way, when the water rises due to heavy rain, etc., it seems that something like the image above will occur. It is wise to give up gracefully on days when the weather is bad.

The large hot spring overlooking from the nearby Kawara Yubashi Bridge is also great!

After returning to the parking lot, head to the nearby Kawara Yubashi Bridge. From there, you can look down on the promenade of the large hot spring that you just walked on.

The contrast between the trees in the valley and the steam rising from the abyss has a different charm than when you see it up close!

INFORMATION

• Name: Oyasukyo Daifunto
• Address: Minase Shindokoro, Yuzawa City, Akita Prefecture 012-0183
• Phone number: 0183-47-5080 (Yuzawa City Tourism and Products Association)
• URL: Yuzawa City Official Tourism Site “Yuzawa Tabi”

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summary

This time we introduced Oyasukyo Daifunto, a famous spot in Yuzawa City, Akita Prefecture. It is most popular during the autumn leaves season, but you can enjoy different charms in all seasons.

Oyasukyo Onsen just upstream , so one of the attractions is that you can enjoy it together with a hot spring trip.

As mentioned above, a risk of water rising , so be sure to check the weather before visiting!