Akita · Mizusawa Onsen, Tazawako plateau
Rotenburo Mizusawa Onsen, Tazawako Kōgen
露天風呂 水沢温泉（田沢湖高原）
The representative drop-in bath of the Mizusawa spa cluster on the Tazawako plateau, on the road up to Nyūtō Onsen. Less famous than Nyūtō's hidden inns, it nonetheless runs an abundant sulphur-calcium-magnesium-sulphate-chloride spring free-flowing, and its bluish milky water is praised as 'silky and moisturising'. The standout is an open-air bath about a metre deep in which you soak standing up — one of only two such deep outdoor baths in the area. Men and women each have two indoor and two outdoor baths, and the waterfall massage runs all the time. Adults ¥900, primary-school children and under free; open 10:00–20:00 (building closes 21:00), irregular closures (open through Golden Week, Obon and New Year). Lodging is available, and it makes a good alternative when Nyūtō is crowded or a stop after Tazawako ski slopes or a climb of Mt Akita-Komagatake. About 25 minutes by Ugo Kōtsū bus for Nyūtō Onsen from JR Tazawako Station to 'Mizusawa Onsenkyō', right by the stop; 60 parking spaces.
- Price (adult)
- ¥800
- Hours
- 10:00–20:00 (closes 21:00)
- Closed
- Irregular (open Golden Week, Obon & New Year)
- Access
- Ugo Kōtsū bus for Nyūtō Onsen from JR Tazawako Station (Akita Shinkansen), about 25 min to 'Mizusawa Onsenkyō' right by the stop; about 1 h 10 min by car from Morioka IC via Route 46
- Water type
- Sulfur spring
- Tattoos
- Ask ahead
- Admission
- Adults ¥800 / elementary ¥300 / infants free. Free rest corner; tatami rest rooms are charged. Self-catering toji lodging (self-catering only) also available. Hair dryers provided
- Baths
- An unusual layout: two changing rooms, two indoor baths and two rotenburo on each side. The star is a milky-white outdoor bath a full metre deep — you stand in it — with a cascade running at all times. The easiest way on the Tazawako plateau to bathe in water akin to Nyuto Onsen's
- Water
- Sulphur-bearing calcium-magnesium-sodium sulphate-chloride (bicarbonate) spring, hydrogen-sulphide type. Free-flowing (briefly diluted when too hot). Milky white with a slight sourness, an eggy taste and a clear sulphur smell — on some days the rotenburo is noticeably diluted
- Parking & access
- Free parking for 60 cars. About 25 min from Tazawako Station on the Nyuto/Kogen bus, right at the 'Mizusawa Onsenkyo' stop. About 1 h from Morioka IC on the Tohoku Expressway via Routes 46, 341 and Prefectural Road 194. Next to Tazawako Ski Resort
- Phone
- 0187-46-2111
- Official site
- tsukamoto-sogyo.co.jp ↗
- Open in Google Maps
- Google Maps ↗
Essentials
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Why go
- Metre-deep milky open-air bath, soaked standing
- On the road to Nyūtō; alternative when crowded
- ¥900; children free
A metre deep, bathed standing up — the milky-white rotenburo that is the face of Mizusawa Onsen on the Tazawako plateau
Rotenburo Mizusawa Onsen is the flagship day bath of the Mizusawa hot-spring area in Semboku, Akita, on the road climbing from Lake Tazawa towards Nyuto Onsen; it is run by Tsukamoto Sogyo and doubles as self-catering toji lodging. The water is a sulphur-bearing calcium-magnesium-sodium sulphate-chloride spring (hydrogen-sulphide type) — milky white, faintly sour and eggy, distinctly sulphurous, and free-flowing — so you can taste the Nyuto family of waters without climbing all the way up. The layout is unusual, with two changing rooms, two indoor baths and two rotenburo per side, and the celebrated one is the outdoor bath a full metre deep: you don't sit, you stand shoulder-deep, a sensation hard to forget, with a cascade falling constantly beside you. It sits right next to Tazawako Ski Resort, so in winter it is the snow-viewing soak after skiing, in summer the wash-down after descending Komagatake — locals and travellers mixing in a bath that is unshowy but every inch a good highland spring.
Tips & notes
① The rotenburo is a metre deep — children only with an adult right beside them; shorter bathers can use the step at the rim. ② On days when the hot source is diluted, the outdoor water can be thin — for the richest water, use the indoor baths. ③ Irregular closures and maintenance days occur; phone ahead (0187-46-2111). ④ Facilities are plain, old-school toji — don't expect amenities; bring a towel. ⑤ Sulphur tarnishes silver and copper and lingers on clothes afterwards, so bring a change. ⑥ You can make a mini 'Mizusawa bath circuit' with nearby Akita-Komagatake Onsen (¥700) and the prefectural sports centre (¥420).
Getting there
From Tazawako Station on the Akita Shinkansen, the Ugo Kotsu Nyuto Line bus (for Nyuto Onsen / Kogen) takes about 25 min to the 'Mizusawa Onsenkyo' stop, right outside. It shares the route with the Nyuto buses, so it slots easily before or after Tsurunoyu or Kuroyu — but buses run every 1–2 hours, so check the timetable. By car, about 1 h from Morioka IC via Routes 46, 341 and Prefectural Road 194, or about 20 min from Tazawako Station; free parking for 60 cars. Base on the Tazawako plateau, or in Tazawako or Kakunodate. In winter, Tazawako Ski Resort is within walking distance.
Before you go
- No official tattoo policy is published — ask at reception.
- Ryokan day-use hours are limited and may be suspended in peak season — phone the same morning.
- Payment is usually by ticket machine in cash — bring coins.
- Last entry is 30–60 minutes before closing.
Features
Mood & scenery
Price
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
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.
