Tsuta Onsen Ryokan

Tsuta Onsen Ryokan is a secluded inn in the South Hakkoda area near Oirase Gorge. In Aomori Prefecture, only Sukayu Onsen and Tsuta Onsen are selected among Japan’s 100 Famous Hot Springs. Tsuta Onsen is said to have already existed at its current location in 1147, and the current main building also opened in 1918. While many hot springs across Japan use a "free-flowing from the source" style where spring water is piped into the bath (gensen kakenagashi), Tsuta Onsen features a rarer style called "gensen wakinagashi," where hot spring water naturally wells up from the source directly beneath the bathtub. This type of hot spring is uncommon, and it is said that only around 30 locations nationwide have it. The "Kyuan no Yu" bath, a gensen wakinagashi hot spring, was originally mixed-gender, but today men and women use it in separate time slots. The other bath, "Senkyo no Yu," was named by writer Yasushi Inoue and is separated by gender. Tsuta Onsen was apparently popular among writers, and poet Keigetsu Omachi made this place his final home. With the renewal of the main building, the Keigetsu Omachi Museum opened and can be visited for free as part of your onsen trip. The renovation also created special rooms such as the "Keigetsu Room," designed for sleeping in beds.