Photo: TAMAGO · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Yatate Onsen

Akita · 矢立温泉

Yatate Onsen is a hot spring town in Akita, Japan. The water leaves the ground at 29.4°C, cool enough that the baths here are usually reheated. It measures pH 7 — close to neutral. Officially the water is classed as chloride spring, iron spring and sulfur spring. Its sources put out around 131 litres a minute. 1 inns take visitors here.

Getting there

From Tokyoabout 5 h

CarNot needed

JR PassCovers the train

Train to Ōdate Station (JR)
Local bus, about 30 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 springIron springSulfur 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.

Iron spring 含鉄泉

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

Sulfur spring 硫黄泉

The classic rotten-egg smell and milky white water. It can tarnish silver jewellery, so take it off.

More photographs

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

Things to see nearby

Hirosaki CastleCastle · 24.8 km

Mount Jinkichi-moriMountain · 3.1 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