2024 Japan Snowy Onsen Trip Day 5: Nyuto Onsen Village

Finally, we arrived at the most important stop of this onsen trip, Akita's Nyuto Onsen Village. The entire itinerary was planned around this location because the hotels here are incredibly difficult to book. Luckily, a room at Kaniyu Onsen Hotel became available in early January, and I quickly reserved it, connecting the other destinations around it. Due to the suspension of the Shirakami train at the end of January and early February, transportation became more challenging, forcing us to backtrack a few times. We took the Akita Shinkansen from Akita to Tazawako Station, where the information was clear. From bus stop 1, we boarded the Ugo Kotsu bus to Nyuto Onsen, arriving at the final stop after about 40 minutes. We checked into Kaniyu Onsen Hotel, a standard onsen hotel with some history. After checking in, we headed straight to the outdoor mixed-gender onsen, walking through snow-covered woods over a meter thick to reach the secluded forest onsen. The atmosphere was incredible, and we were lucky to have it to ourselves. The warm spring water enveloped us as we listened to the rustling of the wind through the trees, creating an unreal feeling. After enjoying the outdoor secret bath, returning to the indoor baths felt lackluster; the outdoor experience was the highlight. One downside was the food, which was quite poor. Dinner consisted of a small piece of mentaiko fish as the only meat, with the rest being side dishes. Thankfully, I brought fermented tofu to eat with rice to barely fill up. The next day, I got up early, bought a hot spring tour pass, and took the hot spring tour bus to Tsurunoyu. Here, I enjoyed the milky outdoor mixed-gender secret bath. Tsurunoyu has a historical feel, with all black wooden rooms, and you can enter without buying a day pass as no one checks. There were many bathers today, and even a sudden heavy snowfall didn't deter anyone, making it impossible to take photos. The other two indoor black and white baths were just average. After checking off Tsurunoyu, I took the hot spring tour bus to Nyuto Onsen. Nyuto Onsen mainly features a pool facing a waterfall, but it's small and crowded with too many people. Having visited the main onsens, I felt exhausted. Since the hot spring tour pass is valid for a year, I plan to return during the romantic autumn foliage to visit the remaining ones. With two days left on the Tohoku pass, the next stop is Aomori. #JapanTravel #Onsen #Akita