This site is a web media that delivers all kinds of trivia, from sightseeing and gourmet spots in the six Tohoku prefectures to local, customs, and history.
That's Journey " was broadcast from April to June 2025. the protagonist, Chika Suzugamori, a female college student who aspires to be a manga artist, as she goes on a haphazard journey (a rough journey) to broaden her horizons.
Although the anime has already finished airing, the original manga is still ongoing. This time, we will introduce the journey within Akita Prefecture depicted in the manga's 31st journey (episode 31), "And so the two of them move forward."
*This contains spoilers for the manga, so please be careful if you haven't read it yet.
Click here for an article about the first journey of the TV anime, "The First 1225 Steps" (Aizuwakamatsu City, Fukushima Prefecture).
Click here for the article about the first half of the 9th trip, "Finishing off with a visit to the hot springs and the first sunrise" (Aomori Prefecture).
Based on the results of the now-traditional social media survey, Chika (who has already graduated from university and is making a living from manga) decides to visit hot springs in the Tohoku region. She takes her manga editor, Umeyashiki Aya, to Gosannen Station in Misato Town, Senboku District, Akita Prefecture. Chika says "three more years," but it's actually " Gosannen " Station.
And the Sannen station. (I knew it was Gosannen from the announcement, but I got off because the characters looked funny.) pic.twitter.com/DAAOIQIQhW
Those familiar with Japanese history will immediately understand the origin of the unusual name Gosannen Station. The station name comes from the fact that 1083 (Eiho 3) to 1087 (Kanji 1) .
Here's how to get to Gosannen Station. Akita Komachi bound for Akita from Tokyo Station , you'll arrive at Omagari Station in Daisen City, Akita Prefecture in about 3 hours and 15 minutes.
Akita Shinkansen "Komachi"
Please refer to the article on Anime No. 1 Travel introduction on how to purchase tickets for the Shinkansen that all seats on the Komachi train are reserved and there are no unreserved seats .
Also, if you want to recreate the journey in the manga, you only need to purchase a "limited express ticket" to ride the Shinkansen to Omagari Station, but you will need to purchase a "passenger ticket" to either Gosannen Station or your final destination, Yuzawa Station (if you purchase a ticket from Tokyo Station or elsewhere to Yuzawa Station, you can get off at Gosannen Station).
After getting off the Komachi at Omagari Station, transfer to a local train on the Ou Main Line. It takes just 11 to 12 minutes to get to Gosannen Station, two stops away. However, trains only run about once an hour outside of the morning hours. While the timetable makes it relatively easy to transfer from the Komachi, there may be cases where you have to wait a long time for a train at Omagari Station.
Now, if we look at page 66 of volume 10 of the manga, we can see that the clock on Chika's smartphone shows 11:30 as she gets off at Gosannen Station. Since I don't have the timetable from that time (late March 2023), my analysis is based on the timetable as of November 2025, but if you board the Komachi 3 train departing Tokyo Station at 7:32, you will arrive at Omagari Station at 10:50. If you then board the Ou Main Line train bound for Innai departing Omagari Station 24 minutes later at 11:14, you will arrive at Gosannen Station at 11:25. It's likely that the two of them traveled on a schedule like this.
Two people walking in the rain
After getting off at Gosannen Station, the two head south in the rain. If you walk south from the station, you will soon pass through Misato Town and enter Yokote City.
Along the way, the two come across a shrine that appears to have high defensive powers. The shrine is called Sugawara Shrine and was founded in June 1830 (Bunsei 13), making it a relatively new shrine. It appears that its high defensive powers are only available during the snowy season, so it is thought to be a protection against snow.
The two then crossed the Yokote River, but after about 30 minutes of walking from Gosannen Station, their shoes were already soaked from the rain, so they gave up on walking to Yokote Station, the next station south, and turned back. Even though it was the next station, it was still 6.4km from Gosannen Station to Yokote Station It's a distance I would never have considered walking (at the end of the trip, Aya tells Chika she had walked too much).
Information <Sugawara Shrine>
Name: Sugawara Shrine
Address: 7 Nakayachi, Kanazawa Yasumoto, Yokote City, Akita Prefecture, 013-0813
The two return to Gosannen Station and board the train again. They must have walked for about an hour after arriving at Gosannen Station at 11:25, so the train they boarded must have been the 13:02 bound for Yuzawa. They arrive at Yuzawa Station in the center of Yuzawa City exactly 30 minutes later, at 13:32.
Yuzawa Station
While walking around the station, the two stopped at Takaichi Seikaten, a shop , to try a Yuzawa-originated soul food called Oranda-yaki While it looks like a snack similar to obanyaki or imagawayaki, the salty ham and mayonnaise combine with the sweetness of the dough for an exquisite taste.
I had Dutch grilled chicken. The salty taste of the ham and mayonnaise combined with the slightly sweet taste of the skin was delicious. pic.twitter.com/mXXo5spnxv
There is no direct connection between Dutch ware and the country of Holland. The name Dutch ware comes from the fact that the ham is arranged like the wings of a windmill when grilled, which is reminiscent of Dutch windmills.
Dutch ware
Information <Takaichi Fruit and Vegetable Store>
Name: Takaichi Fruit and Vegetable Store
Address: 1-1-28 Omotemachi, Yuzawa City, Akita Prefecture, 012-0827
Chika and her friends arrived at Yuzawa Station by taking the Akita Shinkansen and the Ou Main Line, but we will also introduce other ways to get to Yuzawa City. ( This information is current as of November 2025 and may have changed since then.)
If you are traveling by train from the Tsugaru region of Aomori Prefecture, you will first need to take the Ou Main Line or Gono Line to Akita Station. From Akita Station, there is a direct train to Yuzawa Station, so you can take that. It takes about 1 hour and 40 minutes to arrive at Yuzawa Station after departing from Akita Station.
If you are coming from Yamagata Prefecture or Niigata Prefecture along the Sea of Japan coast, take a train on the Uetsu Main Line to Akita Station, then board a train on the Ou Main Line.
From Sendai City, there is Green Liner which takes about 3 hours and 20 minutes between Sendai Station and Yuzawa Station. (There used to be a highway bus called the Yuzawa-Akita Line that connected Akita City and Yuzawa City, but it has been suspended since April 2024 due to a lack of drivers.)
Additionally, there are no night buses departing from or arriving at Yuzawa City, but direct night buses depart from Yokote Station in Yokote City, located to the north, from Tokyo Station, Shinjuku Expressway Bus Terminal, Omiya Station, Yokohama Station YCAT, and other stations in the Kanto region. From Yokote Station, you can take a train on the Ou Main Line bound for Yuzawa, arriving at Yuzawa Station in about 20 minutes. This is a great option for those who want to travel while they sleep.
If you're traveling to Yuzawa City from a distant location such as the Kansai region, you'll likely first fly to Akita Airport in Akita City. Direct flights to Akita Airport are available from Sapporo (Okadama and New Chitose), Tokyo (Haneda), Nagoya (Chubu Centrair International), and Osaka (Itami) . (As an aside, there are also international flights to Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport on Thursdays and Sundays only.)
It takes about 40 minutes by limousine bus from Akita Airport to Akita Station, but since Akita Station is in the opposite direction from Yuzawa City, it's a waste of travel time.
The closest station to Akita Airport is Wada Station on the Ou Main Line, and one option is to take a taxi to Wada Station.
also travel to Yokote Station by using the Akita Airport - Yokote Welcome Shuttle, a shared ride service that requires a reservation (up to four days in advance) and is only available to passengers arriving or departing from Akita Airport The Welcome Shuttle only runs twice a day, but the fare to Yokote Station is only 300 yen per person , so it is highly recommended (a regular taxi to Yokote Station would cost over 20,000 yen).
Take the shared taxi "Komachi Shuttle" to Doroyu Onsen Okuyama Ryokan
After enjoying their Dutch-style ware, the two boarded Komachi Shuttle ( the ryokan does not provide transportation ). There were two buses departing from Yuzawa Station at 2:50 PM and 3:35 PM, and judging from their journey so far, they likely took the 2:50 PM bus. They arrived at Doroyu Onsen 45 minutes later, at 3:35 PM.
Reservations for the Komachi Shuttle are required and must be made online at least three days in advance, or by phone at 4:00 PM the day before .
In addition to the Komachi Shuttle, Senshu Taxi also operates a shared taxi service, which takes just over an hour but requires a reservation with Senshu Taxi
As you can see, Doroyu Onsen is quite far from Yuzawa Station. The highway interchange is not that close either. It is located in a place that feels quite remote.
Doroyu Hot Springs
Doroyu Onsen is said to have first been opened about 1,200 years ago. As the name suggests, the hot spring water is a murky mud-like color, hence the name.
This time we stayed at Okuyama Ryokan, a hot spring resort in Yuzawa City, Akita Prefecture. Legend has it that the water was made cloudy white by a Tengu, making it opaque. The thick muddy components of the hot spring made it incredibly pleasant. It's a great hot spring that you'll want to soak in again and again. I highly recommend it. (I received permission to take photos of the hot spring.) pic.twitter.com/N9p5OqEokE
Okuyama Ryokan, where Chika and her friends stayed, was founded in the Meiji era. There are three types of hot springs, named "Tengu no Yu," "Kawa no Yu," and "Ara no Yu" (however, "Kawa no Yu" seems to be used only in the women's only
Smoke from Doroyu Onsen
There are several hot springs around the hot spring resort, and some areas spew hydrogen sulfide in the form of volcanic gas. In the past, there have been accidents in which tourists have lost their lives to hydrogen sulfide . Especially during snowy seasons, hydrogen sulfide gas can accumulate under the snow, which is extremely dangerous. Inns warn people not to go on the accumulated snow under any circumstances
Kawarage Hell
Kawarage Jigoku , one of Japan's three most sacred places, is located about a 30-minute walk from Okuyama Ryokan. The bare mountainside, formed by rocks spewing sulfur and steam, is truly worthy of the name "hell."
The remaining two of the three great sacred places are Mount Tateyama in Toyama Prefecture and Mount Osore in Aomori Prefecture. Mount Osore is mentioned in the article about the 9th journey of the anime, so please take a look.
If you walk another 20 minutes along the promenade from Kawarage Jigoku, you will reach Kawarage Oyutaki Falls This is a spot where hot spring water of about 50 degrees flows down as a waterfall, and the basin at the bottom of the falls is a natural open-air bath.
Kawarage Oyu Falls
You must wear a swimsuit to bathe. The water is at its best temperature from early July to mid-September. Bathing is possible outside of the season, but in winter the road is closed due to snow, making it impossible to get there at all. The closure period is usually from early November to early May of the following year.
The next morning, the two returned to Yuzawa Station on the Komachi Shuttle (currently departing Doroyu Onsen at 11:00 and arriving at Yuzawa Station at 11:45), and decided to explore the city of Yuzawa. First, they headed north on National Route 13, which runs east of Yuzawa Station.
We went to Katano , a shop located further northeast from Shimoyuzawa Station, the station next to Yuzawa Station to the north, the soy sauce castella The castella is made with local soy sauce, and is characterized by its slightly brown color and salty taste. The two of us commented that the choux roll also looked good. By the way, even though they are neighboring stations, it is 4.1km from Yuzawa Station to Shimoyuzawa Station
Next, the two visit a shrine. It's likely Iwasaki Hachiman Shrine, which can be reached by walking another 500 meters northeast from Katano . Their journey ends in front of Kashima- enshrined at the shrine
For more information about Kashima, please see the article below.
statistics compiled by Akita Prefecture , the main reasons tourists visit Akita Prefecture seem to be the Kanto Festival in Akita City, Lake Tazawa and Kakunodate Samurai Residences in Senboku City, the Oga Peninsula, known for its Namahage, and Akita Furusato Village in Yokote City. It must be said that the number of visitors to Yuzawa City and Doroyu Onsen is lower than other tourist destinations in the prefecture. This is probably due to the fact that they are less well-known than the major tourist destinations, and, as explained earlier in this article, they are somewhat difficult to access from far away. This trip, which included a one-night stay at a hot spring inn in a remote area of Yuzawa City, was truly a typical "Zatsu Tabi" trip.
![30948239_m](data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAJYAAACWAQAAAAAUekxPAAAAAnRSTlMAAHaTzTgAAAAaSURBVEjH7cExAQAAAMKg9U9tDQ+gAACAdwMLuAABXZHjmQAAAABJRU5ErkJggg== "Appears in the first episode of the anime "Zatsu Tabi - That's Journey"! Let's go to Aizuwakamatsu City [Fukushima Prefecture]")
![30948239_m](https://jp.neft.asia/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/30948239_m-150x150.jpg.webp "Appears in the first episode of the anime "Zatsu Tabi - That's Journey"! Let's go to Aizuwakamatsu City [Fukushima Prefecture]")
![galaxy railway night](https://jp.neft.asia/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/27594807_s-150x150.jpg.webp "The 10th journey of the anime "That's Journey" is a trip to Iwate Prefecture, a place associated with Kenji Miyazawa [Iwate Prefecture]")
![Enmei Jizo](https://jp.neft.asia/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/f7ab461e83edd7423e8730afd90212c9-150x150.jpg.webp "A trip to Aomori Prefecture depicted in the 9th journey of the anime "That's Journey" [Aomori Prefecture]")
![Matsushima](https://jp.neft.asia/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/27869135_s-150x150.jpg.webp "Appearing in Episode 2 of the anime "That's Journey"! How do you get to Matsushima, one of Japan's Three Most Viewed Places? [Miyagi Prefecture]")
![4550228_m](https://jp.neft.asia/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/4550228_m-150x150.jpg.webp "Hot springs gush out in a place where there are no volcanoes! "Yuzawa Geopark" where you can see the mystery of the earth up close [Akita Prefecture]")
![matagi](https://jp.neft.asia/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/matagi-150x150.jpg.webp "The popular game "Matagi" started in Kitaakita City! [Akita Prefecture]")
