Photo: Own work · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Tamagawa Hot Spring

Akita · 玉川温泉

Tamagawa Hot Spring is a hot spring town in Akita, Japan. The water leaves the ground at 98°C, hot enough that it has to be cooled before anyone can get in. It measures pH 1.05 — strongly acidic, the kind that stings on a cut. Officially the water is classed as chloride spring, carbon dioxide spring, iron spring and acidic spring. Its sources put out around 9,000 litres a minute. 1 inns take visitors here.

Getting there

From Tokyoabout 5 h

CarNot needed

JR PassCovers the train

Train to Hachimantai Station (JR)
Local bus, about 60 min

Fly into Haneda or Narita. Times are rough estimates worked out from station locations, not a timetable — check the exact route on Google Maps.

Chloride springCarbon dioxide springIron springAcidic spring

The water here

Chloride spring 塩化物泉

Salty water. The salt leaves a thin film on the skin, so you stay warm well after leaving the bath.

Carbon dioxide spring 二酸化炭素泉

Fine bubbles cling to your skin. Rare in Japan, and usually cooler than other springs.

Iron spring 含鉄泉

Turns reddish brown as the iron meets air. The water is clear at the source.

Acidic spring 酸性泉

Strongly acidic, sometimes below pH 2. It stings on cuts and is not for long soaks.

More photographs

From Wikimedia Commons. Tap a photo for the photographer and licence.

Things to see nearby

Akita-YakeyamaMountain · 2.3 km

Yasu FallsWaterfall · 10 km

Appi Kogen Ski ResortSki area · 20.3 km

Todo FallsWaterfall · 8.6 km

Tazawako Ski AreaSki area · 22.3 km

Places from Wikidata, photographs from Wikimedia Commons. Distances are in a straight line from the town.

With tattoos

Many public baths still turn away visible tattoos, and the rule is set by each bath, not by the town. The reliable way round it is to bathe privately: a room with its own open-air bath, or an inn with a private bath you can book for yourselves.

Inns with a private bath — Akita