Watch the Snow From an Open-Air Bath in Magoroku Onsen, Part of Akita’s Nyuto Onsen Village

This place has the feeling of a secluded hot spring amidst the snow

The first things you notice when you arrive at Magoroku Onsen are the bath houses built along the riverbank. There is an indoor bath, a changing room, and an open-air bath.

The gender-separated pools are called “Karako no Yu”, the gender-mixed pool is named “Ishi no Yu”, and there are also 3 open-air pools, one of which is female only. However, even the gender-mixed open-air baths can be used by women only between 7 pm and 8:30 pm (sometimes the time period changes, so ask in advance).

Health treatment in a mountainous hot spring

This is a thermal water hot spring rich in radium. It’s very good for treating skin and stomach diseases.



It’s believed that if the water of the gender-mixed pool “Ishi no yu” is muddy, the weather will get bad, and if it’s clear, it will be sunny. When I went there it was snowing for several days in a row, and the water was muddy. The temperature of the blue water is a bit high, but it’s great for warming up your body in the cold winter days.

From “Ishi no yu” you can go outside to the open-air bath. Both are stone baths and have hotter pools near the wooden hut and cooler pools near the riverbank, so feel free to enter the one you like. 



The opposite riverbank is where the mountain slope begins. The bath is indeed in a great location from which you can enjoy the natural beauty of the snow, river and the mountains while soaking in the hot water.

Female visitors can also enter the gender-mixed bath during the day, or wait until the evening when it becomes women-only. 

The female-only open-air pool is white and slightly muddy as it uses a different hot spring source. Of course, you can enjoy the natural views from here too. There were icicles from the roof edge the day I went and it really felt like a secluded hot spring.

Delicious mountain dishes after your bath

The main building of the inn is about 50-meters away from the hot spring baths. Here you can have dinner. Some of the local dishes are kiritanpo hot pot (roasted rice skewers) which is traditional to Akita prefecture, smoked pickled vegetables “iburigakko”, udon noodles with a chicken broth and other mountain vegetables. 



The hot pot is always served hot and it’s very delicious. You can ask to have your leftovers brought to your room if you can’t eat everything at once. And many guests actually do that.

Access to Nyuto Onsen and other useful tips

From Akita Airport you can take the special Airport Liner directly to Nyuto Onsen. It requires a prior reservation of the seats and there are 4 buses per day. It takes 130 minutes to reach the village. From Akita Airport you can buy local specialties such as “hatahata sushi” or “tori-meshi” (rice with chicken) and eat them in the bus.

A special loop bus called “Yumeguri-go” runs around Nyuto Onsen village (it also requires prior reservation and the number of buses differ according to the season). In winter, however, this bus doesn’t go to Magoroku Onsen, so please get off at Ookama Onsen and walk for about 15 minutes. It might be a little uncomfortable, but take it as a short journey on foot to a secluded hot spring.