I recently guided a Singaporean group around Akita Prefecture in Northeastern Japan. Every year, they visit a new area to explore hot springs, stay in unique ryokans (Japanese-style inns), marvel at the autumn colors, and hike. They also overindulge the dual Singaporean pastimes of shopping and eating. Perhaps Singaporeans could single-handedly sustain Japan's rural economies if Japan improved its marketing.
Driving around Akita for 10 days with nothing better to do than soak in hot springs and bask in Autumn colors might seem monotonous at first glance. But I never get bored.
Each forest is an ecosystem unto itself, and fluctuating in elevation daily means discovering the leaves at different points of their autumn "bloom." The quest is to find leaves at their absolute peak.
An Infinite Variety
Hot springs are ubiquitously attractive, each presenting a different view, landscaping, temperature, mineral content, architecture, and bathing experience. Although I have experienced hundreds of onsens, I always want to see more. I have barely dipped my toe into Japan's vast number of onsens.
Viewing autumn leaves and soaking daily also affords plenty of time to contemplate. As I bathed in forests of yellow, brown, orange, and red or mediated under a hot spring waterfall (most waterfall meditations are ice cold), the trip struck me as frivolous in the best sense of the word.
With so many countries at war or in poverty, the ability to spend entire days seeking sensory delights like autumn colors and onsens is a blessing. Our only concerns were the amount of red trees visible and the dinner menu. I was ever aware that frivolity is a privilege not afforded to many.
Here are a few of my favorite spots from the trip.
Favorite Onsens
Kawarage Jigoku Oyutaki
My new favorite Onsen in Japan is Kawarage Jigoku Oyutaki. Driving endlessly into the mountains of Southern Akita, one comes to Doroyu Onsen.
Smaller than a village, Doroyu is a collection of ancient wooden buildings stained by long winters with bubbling pools and sputtering steam everywhere. The Ryokans offer accommodations or day-use spas but there is not much else.
A further drive reveals Kawarage Jigoku, considered an entrance to hell. While the surrounding mountains are a thickly carpeted patchwork of multi-colored forest, Kawarage Jigoku is a white sulphuric mound of barrenness. It's the kind of place Tolkien might have taken inspiration for Mount Doom in Mordor.
Now, on foot, it's another 30-minute descent through the volcanic mountain trail, then a forest trail before reaching Oyutaki. It is worth the effort.
I am convinced that Oyutaki is a magical place. Because the volcanic mountain sits above, the entire river is a hot spring, turning into a waterfall at Oyutaki. Conveniently, the waterfall has carved out a natural rock tub where bathers can relax and admire the stunning view.
Oyutaki is a free, wild onsen without amenities, shops, or changing rooms, so bring everything you need. Bathing suits and tattoos are allowed. Or rather, no one is there to stop you.
After soaking, you can walk down the trail to change clothes in private. Oyutaki is one of the most unique onsens I have visited, and it's a must-see for Akita.
Toshichi Onsen
In Japan's Tohoku region, mixed gender onsens still persist. While few women use them and fewer remain in operation, mixed bathing was the norm previously. Supposedly, Victorian morals introduced in the late 19th century shamed the Japanese into bathing separately.
Toshichi Onsen, then, is a throwback to Japan's ancient culture. I like to think that naked bodies were standard back then, and everyday functions like bathing could be performed together without sexualizing them. I'm sure there were perverts and peeping toms throughout history, but I like my rosy image of Japan's past.
Descending the Jukai Line from the Hachimantai National Park visitor center, one finds a collection of whitish-blue pools alongside the road. These are Toshichi Onsen's mixed baths.
Pay, enter the gender-separated changing room, and go into the indoor bath, where you will find an almost unusably hot pool, Toshichi's only indoor bathing option.
From there, everything is outdoors and open air. There is a women-only outdoor bath, but women must walk past the mixed-gender baths to reach it, so bring a towel or cloak, conveniently available at the gift shop. There are no men's baths, only mixed-gender ones. Enjoy the wild onsen scenery, another unique hot spring experience.
Favorite Autumn Areas
Shirakami Sanchi
Shirakami Sanchi covers a vast area of Northern Akita and Southern Aomori Prefectures. Since there are no accommodations within the national park, Shirakami Sanchi is one of Japan's few bonafide wildernesses.
We visited the Dakedai Forest, deep in the woods of Shirakami Sanchi. There is a one-hour hiking path through the native old-growth Beech Forest, with highlights including a 300-year-old tree and the "mother tree," inspiration for Miyazaki Hayao's film Princess Mononoke.
Unfortunately, the 400-year-old tree fell down some years ago. The forest is stunning, the air fresh, and one feels connected to something much older than oneself in Shirakami Sanchi.
Yuze Onsen
Except for a couple of ryokans, Yuze Onsen is a forgotten town, a product of the rise and fall of Japan's bubble economy when everyone had money and everyone traveled.
Forlorn village aside, there is a fantastic walking trail along the Yoneshiro River. In late October, when we visited, the Autumn colors were peaking. The trail begins next to Yuze Hotel Resort and meanders a couple of kilometers down the river, eventually popping out on the road. Walk back on the road or take the trail back to the entrance of the hotel.
Favorite 'Touristy' Places
Nyuto Onsen
I hate to admit that I enjoy tourist traps, but Nyuto Onsen is a worthy exception. Of course, calling anything touristy in Akita is a stretch. Akita seems practically void of Western tourists, even compared to rural Nagano, where I reside.
Nestled deep in the mountains near Lake Tazawa, Tsurunoyu, the most famous of the seven ryokans in Nyuto Onsen, dates back centuries to the Edo period. The wooden thatch-roof architecture is rustic, quaint, and inviting.
The main bath is even more inviting, though beware because it is another mixed-gender variety. There are male-only and female-only baths too.
If you want to stay at Tsurunoyu, first of all, good luck getting a reservation. Spots sell out the day they open and reservations are only taken by phone in Japanese.
Second, I hope you like mushrooms because every dish in the course features fungi, and they do not accommodate dietary restrictions. Thankfully, a Nyuto Onsen bus pass allows you to try the different hot springs as day-use spas if you cannot or choose not to stay.
Oyasukyo
Oyasukyo is a famous gorge in Southern Akita. While there are many visitors, the gorge is one of Japan's most unique geological features. Descending down several hundred stairs takes you to the riverbed at the bottom of the canyon.
The river is idyllic, especially with the autumn leaves. The suspension bridge above is awe-inspiring, and the surrounding mountains form a steep valley.
What makes this gorge unique, though, is its geothermal activity. Steam rises from every nook and cranny of the canyon wall, sometimes so forcefully you can hear it hissing and bubbling out onto the paved walkway. Navigating the thick cloud of onsen steam (and trying to stay dry) makes the short trail memorable and photogenic. Oyasukyu is near Kawara Jigoku Otaki, so visit those together.
Akita gave me so many experiences and memories to take home, and I know I will be back. Besides the hot springs and the fall colors, I can't wait to explore the mountains, talk to its welcoming people, and partake of the delicious food again. Thank you, Akita.
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Author: Daniel Moore
Learn more about the wild side of Japan through Daniel's essays.
