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Karamatsu Onsen

Akita · 唐松温泉

Karamatsu Onsen is a hot spring town in Akita, Japan. The water leaves the ground at 51°C, hot. It measures pH 8.3 — mildly alkaline, the slippery kind. Officially the water is classed as sulfate spring. 1 inns take visitors here.

Getting there

From Tokyoabout 5 h
CarTaxi from the station
JR PassCovers the train
  1. Train to Ugo-Sakai Station (JR)
  2. By car or taxi, about 20 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.

Sulfate spring

The water here

Sulfate spring 硫酸塩泉

Clear water with a faintly bitter taste. Known for holding heat.

Things to see nearby

Kubota CastleCastle · 24.8 km
Kyōwa Ski AreaSki area · 1.8 km
Mount TaiheiMountain · 14.6 km
Karamatsu ShrineShrine · 11.7 km
Taiheizan Ski Resort OpasSki area · 19.5 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

More on tattoos and onsen

Where to stay

Onsen inns — Daisen City

Opens Rakuten Travel, which lists inns in English. Onsen Guide earns a commission if you book through these links, at no extra cost to you.

Hot spring towns nearby

Kowakubi OnsenAkita · 強首温泉郷18.2 km southwest
Chloride springIodine spring
Akita OnsenAkita · 秋田温泉24.6 km west
Chloride springBicarbonate spring
Yūwafurusato OnsenAkita · 雄和ふるさと温泉25.4 km southwest
Chloride spring
Natsuse OnsenAkita · 夏瀬温泉25.7 km east
Sulfate spring
Uttō OnsenAkita · 打当温泉27.9 km northeast
Chloride spring
Mizusawa OnsenkyōAkita · 水沢温泉郷30.1 km east
Sulfur spring

Similar water elsewhere

Towns further away with the same kind of water — useful if this one is hard to reach or fully booked.

Gatsugiyurihana OnsenNiigata · 勝木ゆり花温泉Also sulfate, similar pH
Sulfate spring
Hanamaki OnsenIwate · 花巻温泉Also sulfate, similar pH
Sulfate spring
Yukisawa OnsenAkita · 雪沢温泉Also sulfate, similar pH
Sulfate spring
Kashi OnsenFukushima · 甲子温泉Also sulfate, similar pH
Sulfate spring
Sano OnsenFukui · 佐野温泉Also sulfate, similar pH
Sulfate spring
Wasezawa OnsenFukushima · 早稲沢温泉Also sulfate, similar pH
Sulfate spring

The numbers

Water temperature
51°C
pH
8.3 (mildly alkaline)
Inns
1
Address in Japanese
秋田県大仙市協和

Figures from the town's Japanese Wikipedia article.

Where it is

39.6903, 140.4097 — open the map

Read more

Japanese Wikipedia

Planning a first soak? Read how an onsen stay works, and what to do if you have tattoos.