Akita · Mizusawa Onsen, Tazawako plateau
Tazawako Kōgen Onsen Alpa Komakusa
田沢湖高原温泉 アルパこまくさ
A day bath inside Alpa Komakusa, the Semboku city complex where buses depart for the 8th station of Mt. Akita-Komagatake. Sharing the building with the mountain information centre and volcano disaster station, it bustles with hikers and Lake Tazawa sightseers. The 'Nature Onsen Hall' has two lookout open-air baths, one of rock and one of hiba cypress, gazing down on the lapis-blue surface of Lake Tazawa – Japan's deepest – and the sweep of the mountains. The milky simple sulfur spring rises from the same range as Nyūtō and Mizusawa onsen and warms a chilled body thoroughly with a soft sulfur scent. Admission is a modest ¥550 for adults and ¥300 for children. Hours are 9:00–19:00 (last entry 18:00) from April to November, 9:30–17:30 (last entry 17:00) from December to March, and 9:00–18:00 on Thursdays and Fridays; open daily except Thursdays from November to April. Rest corner and light meals available, with a large car park. From JR Tazawako Station take the Ugo Kōtsū bus bound for Nyūtō Onsen about 35 minutes to the Alpa Komakusa stop. Perfect for a soak on the way to or from Nyūtō or after climbing Komagatake.
- Price (adult)
- ¥550
- Hours
- 09:00–19:00 (Apr–Nov, reception until 18:00) / 09:30–17:30 (Dec–Mar, until 17:00) — some sources list the bath hall as 10:00–16:00; confirm
- Closed
- Thursdays Nov–Apr (no closures May–Oct); New Year holidays
- Access
- Ugo Kōtsū bus for Nyūtō Onsen from JR Tazawako Station about 35 min to 'Alpa Komakusa'; about 25 min by car from Tazawako Station; about 60 min by car from Kyōwa IC on the Akita Expressway
- Water type
- Sulfur spring
- Tattoos
- Ask ahead
- Admission
- Adults (junior high and up) ¥550 / elementary ¥300 / preschool free. Shampoo, body soap and dryers provided; bring a towel (sold on site). The attached 'Komakusa' eatery (Inaniwa udon, soba) is open 11:00–15:00 only
- Baths
- The 'Nature Encounter Onsen Hall' opened in 2006 as the base station for Mt. Akita-Komagatake. Gender-separated indoor baths (split in two, the nearer slightly cooler) lead straight out to a rotenburo that looks down on Lake Tazawa — hence 'Tazawako panoramic rotenburo'. No sauna or cold plunge
- Water
- Sulphur-bearing calcium-magnesium-sodium sulphate-bicarbonate spring (hydrogen-sulphide type), pH 6.4, source 54.5°C, total minerals 2.2 g/kg; source name 'Tazawako Kogen (Sorabuki No. 1/2/4 blend)'. Free-flowing — sulphur scent and drifting flakes of yunohana that cloud the water white when stirred up
- Parking & access
- Free parking for 200 cars (the transfer point for buses to the Komagatake 8th station during private-car restrictions). About 40 min from Tazawako Station on the Ugo Kotsu Nyuto Line bus to 'Alpa Komakusa', right at the stop. About 1 h 20 min from Morioka IC on the Tohoku Expressway via Routes 46 and 341
- Phone
- 0187-46-2101
- Official site
- city.semboku.akita.jp ↗
- Open in Google Maps
- Google Maps ↗
Essentials
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Why go
- Two lookout baths over lapis-blue Lake Tazawa
- Milky sulfur spring at the Komagatake trailhead hub
- ¥550; right at the Nyūtō Onsen bus stop
An unexpectedly fine spring at a hikers' bus terminal — a sulphur rotenburo above Lake Tazawa for ¥550
Alpa Komakusa opened in 2006 on the Tazawako plateau in Semboku, Akita, at the trailhead for Mt. Akita-Komagatake (1,637 m) — a complex housing a hot-spring hall, the Komagatake information centre and a volcano disaster-prevention station under one roof. Because hikers park here and change to the 8th-station bus during private-car restrictions, walk in expecting a 'bus-terminal bath' and you will be startled: the water is a free-flowing 54.5°C sulphur-bearing sulphate-bicarbonate spring blended from the Sorabuki sources towards Nyuto, heavy with sulphur scent and drifting yunohana that clouds the bath milky white the moment the sediment is stirred. From the gender-separated indoor baths a door opens onto a rotenburo with Lake Tazawa spread out below, and thanks to the lodge-style timber building and spacious grounds it stays uncrowded despite the easy access. Adults ¥550, shampoo provided — for anyone without time to reach Nyuto Onsen, or wanting to wash off a climb the moment they descend, few options come close.
Tips & notes
① Published hours vary by source (9:00–19:00 / 9:30–17:30 / bath hall 10:00–16:00) — confirm on the day via Semboku City's official site or by phone (0187-46-2101). Closed Thursdays in winter (Nov–Apr). ② No sauna or cold plunge; the rotenburo shrinks under snow in winter. ③ Lots of yunohana — don't stir the bottom before getting in; other bathers dislike it. ④ 15:00–17:00 in hiking season is busy with descending climbers; mornings or after 17:00 are quiet. ⑤ Sulphur water blackens silver and can irritate babies' skin. ⑥ The eatery closes at 15:00 — eat afterwards down towards Lake Tazawa.
Getting there
From Tazawako Station on the Akita Shinkansen (about 3 h from Tokyo), the Ugo Kotsu Nyuto Line bus takes about 40 min to 'Alpa Komakusa', right at the stop (same route as the Nyuto Onsen buses, a few a day). By car, about 1 h 20 min from Morioka IC via Routes 46 and 341, or about 25 min from Tazawako Station. Free parking for 200 cars. During the June–October car restrictions, Komagatake climbers change here for the 8th-station bus. It lies on the way to Nyuto Onsen (Tsurunoyu, Kuroyu), so base yourself on the Tazawako plateau or near the station and combine it with Mizusawa Onsen and the lakeshore for a half day.
Before you go
- No official tattoo policy is published — ask at reception.
- Payment is usually by ticket machine in cash — bring coins.
- Last entry is 30–60 minutes before closing.
Features
Mood & scenery
Price
Who with
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
Tsurunoyu Onsen
The oldest inn in the Nyuto Onsen area, a hidden hot spring dating to the Edo period. The thatched 'Honjin' building and the large milky-white mixed rotenburo are its iconic scene. Day bathing 10:00–15:00; on Mondays the rotenburo is closed for cleaning and only indoor baths are open. Rooms sell out months ahead. From Tazawako Station take the bus, then the inn shuttle from Alpa Komakusa.
Kuroyu Onsen (Nyūtō)
The innermost of Nyūtō's seven baths — a cluster of thatched bath huts. Two separate sources feed a mixed open-air pool and gender-separated indoor/outdoor baths of milky sulfur water. Day use 9 am–4 pm, the longest window of the seven; closed mid-November to mid-April.
Nyūtō Onsen Tae-no-yu
The most polished of the seven Nyūtō inns, beside the Sendatsu stream and popular with women. Two sources — rusty 'gold' and clear 'silver' — in open-air baths above the rushing river. Day-use reception is short (10:30 am–2 pm), so come early.
