Photo: 掬茶 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Kisakata Onsen

Akita · 象潟温泉

Kisakata Onsen is a hot spring town in Akita, Japan. The water leaves the ground at 15–41°C, comfortably warm. It measures pH 7.6 — mildly alkaline, the slippery kind. Officially the water is classed as chloride spring and sulfur spring. Its sources put out around 322 litres a minute. 3 inns take visitors here.

Getting there

From Tokyoabout 5 h

CarNot needed

JR PassCovers the train

Train to Kisakata Station (JR)
Local bus, about 5 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 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.

Sulfur spring 硫黄泉

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

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