Akita · Nyūtō Onsen
Kuroyu Onsen (Nyūtō)
黒湯温泉（乳頭温泉郷）
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.
- Price (adult)
- ¥800
- Hours
- 09:00–16:30 (last entry 16:00; mid-Apr to early Nov)
- Closed
- Closed in winter (early Nov–mid Apr); no day bathing after 11:00 on Wednesdays (varies on holidays)
- Access
- Bus from JR Tazawako Station (50 min) to Nyūtō Onsen, 20 min walk
- Water type
- Sulfur spring
- Tattoos
- Ask ahead
- Admission
- Adults ¥800 / elementary ¥400. Cards reportedly accepted. Yumeguri-cho valid
- Baths
- Left of the entrance: separate men’s/women’s zone (indoor, open-air, cascade; women’s has its own rotenburo). Right: mixed zone (indoor, open-air, two cascade showers). Cedar-bark-roofed bath huts scattered like an old cure village
- Water
- Simple hydrogen-sulfide and acidic sulfur springs; you can watch the source bubbling beside the inn. Milky white; hypertension, arteriosclerosis, diabetes etc.
- Mixed-bath rules
- Women may not wear towels or bathing wraps in the mixed zone (house rule); the separate zone is the comfortable option
- Yumeguri-cho pass
- Guests staying at one of the seven Nyuto inns (Tsurunoyu, Taenoyu, Ganiba, Ogama, Magoroku, Kuroyu, Kyukamura) can buy the “Yumeguri-cho” (¥2,500, valid one year) for one bath at each inn plus free rides on the Yumeguri-go shuttle. Day trippers pay each inn separately
- Phone
- 0187-46-2214
- Official site
- kuroyu.com ↗
- Open in Google Maps
- Google Maps ↗
Essentials
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Why go
- Thatched huts and milky water
- Day use 9–4, longest of the seven
- Easy to pair with Tsuru-no-yu
Nyuto’s innermost cure village, since the Edo period
Kuroyu Onsen, at about 800 m at the far end of the Nyuto valley, is a cure village dating from the Edo period, with cedar-bark-roofed wooden bath huts and self-catering lodges scattered about — the most old-world of the seven inns. Beside the inn you can watch milky water bubbling from the source, and the high-falling utase-yu cascade is the speciality. Snowed in for winter, it opens only mid-April to early November, and it is a further 20-minute walk from the bus terminus by Kyukamura — which is exactly why hidden-spring seekers love it.
Tips & cautions
- On Wednesdays day bathing stops at 11:00 (varies on holidays) — mornings only.
- Open mid-April to early November; exact dates change yearly — call 0187-46-2214.
- No towels or wraps for women in the mixed zone; outside quiet weekdays, the separate zone (women’s side has a rotenburo) is the easy choice.
- Acidic sulfur water tarnishes silver and stings eyes; rinse afterwards.
- 20 min uphill walk from the bus terminus (shuttle for overnight guests only). Canteen 11:30–13:30, small shop.
Getting there
Ugo Kotsu bus ~45 min from Tazawako Station to “Kyukamura-mae”, then ~20 min on foot (Obonai Kuroyuzawa 2-1). ~35 min by car from the station; road closed in winter. Parking available.
Before you go
- No official tattoo policy is published — ask at reception.
- There is a mixed-gender area. Check the description for bathing garments and women-only hours.
- Ryokan day-use hours are limited and may be suspended in peak season — phone the same morning.
- Open seasonally only — check the official site for operating dates before you go.
- Payment is usually by ticket machine in cash — bring coins.
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.
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.
Shin-Tamagawa Onsen
A modern cure-bath inn fed by Tamagawa Onsen, Japan's most acidic spring at pH 1.2. The hiba-cypress bathhouse lines up 15 tubs — 100% source, 50% diluted, mildly acidic and more — so you can choose by condition. Day use 10:00–15:00, ¥1,000 (revised April 2026). An indoor stone-slab bath (¥800) is also available, and unlike the original Tamagawa it stays open all winter for snowbound soaking. About 70 min by bus from Tazawako Station.
