Miyagi · Akiu Onsen
Akiu Onsen Public Bath
秋保温泉共同浴場
The only communal bath in Akiu Onsen, Sendai's classic hot-spring retreat. Among upscale ryokan charging ¥1,000-plus for day use, this humble bathhouse offers free-flowing chloride spring water for ¥300. Near the Yakushi-do temple at the source, it has a single tub and a mostly local crowd; soap is sold, not provided, and a sign asks for 40-minute stays. About 55 minutes by bus from Sendai Station, right by the Yumoto stop.
- Price (adult)
- ¥300
- Hours
- 7:30–21:00 (max 40 min per visit)
- Closed
- 4th Wed (sometimes 2nd Wed too)
- Access
- 54 min by Miyagi Kotsu bus from Sendai Station West Exit to Akiu-Onsen Yumoto
- Water type
- Simple spring
- Tattoos
- Ask ahead
- Admission
- Adults ¥300, ages 3 to elementary ¥200 (ticket machine). Lockers ¥100 (non-refundable). No soap or shampoo; taps only, no showers. A notice asks for '40 minutes per visit'. Discounts with the Sendai Marugoto Pass and similar
- Baths
- A small police-box-like building next to Senmyoji, the spa town's guardian temple. One tiled indoor pool per sex (full with 3–4 people); no rotenburo, sauna or rest room. Hot water (about 42–43°C) piped directly from the source. A locals' everyday bath with busy periods
- Water
- Sodium-calcium chloride spring (mild salt spring), free-flowing from the source. Colourless, odourless, bracingly hot; the salt warms you to the core and the glow lasts. Akiu is one of Japan's 'three imperial baths', said to have cured Emperor Kinmei in the 6th century. Indicated for neuralgia, back pain and poor circulation
- Parking & access
- Free parking for 7–20 cars (designated lot only, a short walk away). About 50 min by Miyagi Kotsu bus bound for Akiu Onsen from the west exit of JR Sendai Station to 'Akiu Onsen Yumoto'. 15 min by car (7.8 km) from Ayashi Station on the JR Senzan Line. About 25 min from Sendai-Minami IC on the Tohoku Expressway. 800 m north-west of the Akiu Sato Center
- Phone
- 022-398-2774
- Official site
- akiusato.jp ↗
- Open in Google Maps
- Google Maps ↗
Essentials
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Why go
- Akiu's only public bath
- Free-flowing for ¥300
- 55 min by bus from Sendai
Akiu's source water for ¥300 in a town of luxury inns
Akiu Onsen Kyodo Yokujo is a small communal bath in the middle of Akiu, Sendai's 'back parlour' spa in Taihaku ward, next to Senmyoji, the town's guardian temple. Akiu is a storied spring — one of Japan's 'three imperial baths', said to have cured Emperor Kinmei's skin disease in the 6th century — but it is dominated by large luxury inns where even day bathing easily tops ¥1,000. Amid them, this bath house lets you soak in water piped straight from the source, free-flowing, for ¥300, and from 7:30 a.m. it is a precious resource for locals and thrifty travellers. Inside the police-box-like building there is a single tub that fills with three or four people, but it is well kept, clean, and the water is bracingly hot.
Hot free-flowing water and the locals' rules
There is one tub per sex, a tiled floor with taps only — no showers, soap or shampoo — so bring a wash kit. The water is colourless, odourless sodium-calcium chloride at around 42–43°C; not as ferociously hot as it once was, but still breathtaking at first, so douse yourself thoroughly before getting in — it is also good manners. Two or three dips of three minutes each and the salt has warmed you through, making the breeze outside feel wonderful. As a locals' bath it posts a '40 minutes per visit' rule, and lunchtime around noon is comparatively quiet. Wash first, use the small tub quietly, and you may even enjoy a short exchange with the regulars — a glimpse into everyday Sendai life.
Practical details and enjoying Akiu
Hours are roughly 7:30–21:00, though sources also list 8:00–21:30 and the like, so avoid arriving just before closing. Closed the fourth Wednesday (sometimes the second as well). Adults ¥300, children ¥200 from the ticket machine; lockers ¥100 (non-refundable). Parking is in the designated lot only and limited, so the bus is a good option: about 50 minutes from the west exit of Sendai Station on the Akiu Onsen bus, right at the 'Akiu Onsen Yumoto' stop. Combine it with Akiu Otaki (one of Japan's three great waterfalls), the Rairaikyo gorge, the Akiu Sato Center and Saichi's famous ohagi rice cakes for an ideal day trip from Sendai; if you want a rotenburo or sauna, look to day bathing at a nearby inn instead.
Before you go
- No official tattoo policy is published — ask at reception.
- As a communal bath there is no soap or shampoo — bring your own or buy at the shop.
- Payment is usually by ticket machine in cash — bring coins.
- Last entry is 30–60 minutes before closing.
Features
Mood & scenery
Price
Who with
Convenience
Amenities
✔ Verified operating: 2026-09 Operating status and rates cross-checked against the official site and onsen guides (full source notes in Japanese on the JA page)
Prices and hours change. Check official sources before visiting.
More in this area
Taki-no-Yu, Naruko
A communal bath with over a thousand years of history as the shrine's sacred spring. Milky acidic sulfur water pours like a waterfall from log flumes into cypress tubs. ¥300; bring your own soap.
Naruko Waseda Sajiki-yu
A communal bath using a spring that Waseda University students struck during fieldwork in 1948. Architect Osamu Ishiyama's yellow avant-garde building is unmistakable; descend the stepped 'sajiki' gallery to the bathroom. The modern counterpart to Taki-no-yu.
Tōgatta Onsen Kami-no-yu Communal Bath
The signature communal bath of Tōgatta, gateway to the Zao range on the Miyagi side. A wooden bathhouse with nothing but two indoor tubs — a 'hot' one around 44°C and a 'mild' one at 42°C — fed free-flowing by a 400-year-old source. The sodium-calcium sulfate-chloride water is reputed for cuts and skin complaints and keeps you warm long afterwards. ¥400, 9:00–20:30. The source and Tōgatta Shrine sit behind it and a free footbath in front; combine with a stroll through the kokeshi-doll village.
