Lake Tazawa & the Milky Baths of Nyuto Onsen — 2 Days for Two

A narrow mountain gorge where the Tama river runs a startling, mineral turquoise between cliffs of green — the name means 'embrace and turn back', from a path once so tight that travellers had to hold each other to pass. A walking trail follows the water from a small shrine past the slender vermilion Kami-no-Iwa suspension bridge, the classic photograph, with the river an almost luminous blue-green below. It is loveliest in fresh early-summer green and in the fierce reds of late October. Note that in 2026 only the near, Shindai-side path to the bridge is open; the far-bank route and the upper waterfall may be closed, so treat it as a there-and-back to the bridge rather than a through-walk.

The trail is free and open roughly late April to mid-November (snow-closed in winter). About 15-20 minutes by car from Tazawako Station, plus a 10-15 minute walk from the car park to the suspension bridge. Wear proper shoes; the path is uneven. Allow about two hours including the walk.

On the western shore of the lake stands a slim gilded bronze of Tatsuko, the maiden of local legend who prayed for eternal beauty and was instead transformed into a dragon-goddess who dwells in the lake's depths. The statue, made in 1968, glows against the unreal blue of the water — Lake Tazawa is over 420 metres deep, the deepest in Japan, so deep and clear it never freezes and shifts from emerald at the edges to cobalt in the centre. The little Katajiri shore here, with its vermilion shrine gate just along the bank, is the lake's signature view. Come in soft morning or late-afternoon light and the gold figure against the water is unforgettable.

On the lake's western shore, free and always accessible; a souvenir-shop car park nearby charges around ¥200 (often refunded with a purchase, approx., 2026). About 20-30 minutes by car or the lake bus from Tazawako Station. Best in morning or late-afternoon light. Allow about 45 minutes.

On the lake's quieter northern shore, a single vermilion torii gate stands right at the water's edge, its reflection wavering in the blue — one of the most photographed spots on Lake Tazawa, and a complete contrast to the gold statue across the water. The shrine behind it is dedicated to the dragon-goddess Tatsuko, and the name 'seat-stone' recalls a feudal lord who is said to have rested on the flat rock here. A short forest path, an old cedar and a spring the legend ties to Tatsuko's beauty make it a calm, atmospheric pause. With the torii framing the caldera and the mountains beyond, it is the lake's most serene image and a lovely place to end the circuit before climbing to the onsen.

On the northern shore, free and always accessible. About 15 minutes by car from the Tatsuko statue side, or reachable by the lake bus. The lakeside torii is the main photo; the shrine and forest path are a short walk behind. Allow about 45 minutes.

The oldest and most storied of the seven inns of Nyuto Onsen, Tsurunoyu was once a bathing retreat for the lords of Akita, and its low run of thatched and dark-timber buildings, lamplit and woodsmoke-scented, looks almost unchanged. Its great open-air mixed bath sits in a clearing in the beech forest, a milky, sulphur-white spring rising through the gravel floor so the water seems to come straight from the earth — one of the iconic images of Japanese hot springs. Rooms in the old honjin wing have an irori hearth and no frills; dinner is mountain fare, including the inn's famous yamanoimo-jiru hotpot. Tsurunoyu is the hardest booking in Nyuto and the reason many travellers come to Akita at all. A genuine destination, not just a bed.

Check-in typically mid-afternoon; rates from roughly ¥12,000-20,000 per person with two meals (approx., 2026, varies by room and season). Reservations are extremely hard — many rooms open by phone (Japanese) around six months ahead and fill at once; book as early as possible. About 50 minutes by car from Tazawako Station up a mountain road. Open year-round. Allow the full evening.

The seven inns of Nyuto each tap a different spring, and a yumeguri 'bath-hopping' pass lets guests sample several. The most elegant is Taenoyu, a stylish small ryokan with two different waters — a clear 'gold' spring and a reddish-brown iron one — and a riverside open-air bath set against a little waterfall and the beech canopy, especially beautiful framed in autumn colour. After a night in rustic Tsurunoyu, a mid-morning soak here is a gentler, prettier contrast, with a tasteful lounge for tea between baths. It is the loveliest way to understand why this single forested valley holds so many distinct hot springs, each with its own character and mineral colour.

Day-use bathing is offered during set daytime hours (often roughly 10:00-15:00, sometimes limited; confirm), around ¥800-1,000 (approx., 2026); a Nyuto yumeguri pass covers several inns. A few minutes from Tsurunoyu within the Nyuto cluster. Open year-round, though winter road access can be limited. Allow about 75 minutes.

The highest mountain in Akita, Komagatake is famous for the alpine flower meadows that carpet its volcanic slopes in summer — drifts of komakusa, nikko-kisuge day lilies and chinguruma that have made it one of Tohoku's best easy alpine walks. A seasonal shuttle bus climbs from the Tazawako highland to the 8th station at around 1,300 metres, where even a short stroll opens vast views over the caldera lake far below and across to the Hachimantai range. Casual visitors can simply enjoy the viewpoint and the flowers near the rest house; properly equipped walkers can ridge-walk on toward the crater. A bracing, optional high point between the valley's baths.

The 8th-station shuttle bus runs only in the green season, roughly late May to mid-October (private cars are restricted on peak days); the viewpoint and rest house are free. About 60-75 minutes total from Nyuto via the Tazawako highland and the bus. Bring a layer; alpine weather changes fast. Allow about two hours including the bus.

High in the mountains toward Hachimantai, Tamagawa is the most extraordinary hot spring in Japan: a single source called Obuke gushes some 9,000 litres a minute of near-boiling water at a pH of around 1.2, the most acidic in the country, so strong it is diluted before bathing. The spring has drawn 'tojiseekers' for generations, but its most famous feature is the open-air ganban'yoku, where people lie on naturally heated, faintly radioactive bedrock wrapped in mats among the steam and sulphur fumes, a folk cure taken very seriously here. A boardwalk leads through the bubbling, hissing geothermal field around the source. It is harsh, elemental and unlike anywhere else — a fitting, dramatic close to an onsen journey.

Day-use bathing and the bedrock area are open in daytime (often roughly 09:00-16:00; the bedrock area has its own hours), around ¥600-800 (approx., 2026). The highland access road is snow-closed in winter, so this is a green-season visit. The acidic water is harsh on skin and metal; rinse afterward. About 40 minutes by car from the Komagatake area. Allow about 90 minutes.