Nanyo City and Akyu Onsen: The Hot Spring with Red Source Water Known as the "Onsen to Drink"

Akayu Onsen

Akayu Onsen in Nanyo, Yamagata, is a historic hot spring said to have a history of more than nine hundred years. Several accounts explain its name: one legend holds that it was discovered in the late Heian period by Minamoto no Yoshitsuna, a younger brother of the warrior Yoshiie, while another tells of wounded warriors healing here until the water turned red. The founding date is given differently in different accounts. Known since antiquity as a drinkable hot spring, it lets visitors sample the spring water at a designated fountain.

Hot Spring Characteristics

• Spring Type: Sodium and calcium chloride spring
• Drinking: A drinkable spring said to benefit digestive conditions, with a drinking fountain provided
• Benefits: Neuralgia, rheumatism, chronic skin conditions, and sensitivity to cold
• Communal Baths: Several communal baths allow bath-hopping

Highlights

• Eboshiyama Park: A cherry blossom spot with about one thousand trees, including edohigan and somei-yoshino, chosen among the hundred best cherry sites in Japan; combined blossom viewing and hot spring visits are popular
• Nanyo Grape Orchards: Grape picking in September and October
• Akayu Wine: Nanyo is a production area for wine grapes, with wineries dotted around the city
• Kumano Taisha: Counted with the shrines in Wakayama and Nagano among the three Kumano of Japan, known for matchmaking

Getting There

• Nearest station: Alight at JR Akayu Station on the Yamagata Shinkansen, about 30 minutes from Yamagata; the Yamagata Railway Flower Nagai Line also serves it
• From station to town: About 5 minutes by taxi, or a 20 to 25 minute walk
• Eboshiyama Park: About 5 minutes by car from Akayu Station
• Kumano Taisha: About 5 minutes by car from Akayu Station
• By car: From Nanyo-Takahata IC on the Tohoku-Chuo Expressway into the town center
• Drinking fountain: A place to drink the spring water is available in the hot spring town

Practical Travel Notes

• Best Season: Cherry blossoms in mid-April and grape picking with wine in September and October are especially appealing; the Eboshiyama cherry festival combines blossoms and bathing, though festival dates should be checked against official sources
• Best Time of Day: Visit Eboshiyama Park, Kumano Taisha, and wineries by day, then enjoy bathing and drinking the spring water from evening
• Avoiding Crowds: Peak blossom time is busy, so early morning viewing is more comfortable
• Time Needed: Half a day to a full day for the town walk and nearby sights, or an overnight stay for a relaxed cure-style visit
• Nearby Real Spots: Combine with Eboshiyama Park, Kumano Taisha, and the wineries and grape orchards of Nanyo
• Budget: Communal bathing is modestly priced and pairs well with wineries, grape picking, and drinking the spring water

Tips

Akayu Onsen lies close to Akayu Station where the shinkansen stops, making it an easy base for touring Yamagata. When drinking the spring water, keep to the recommended amount of one or two cups. A trip during the grape and wine season of September and October, combining winery tours with the hot springs, is especially rewarding, and local grape juice and wine make fine souvenirs. Dates for the Eboshiyama cherry festival and other events change from year to year, so check official information before you go.

📚 Sources

This article is based on the guidance for the hot spring published by the Akayu Onsen tourism association and Nanyo City, materials on the public baths and drinking-water station, accounts of the legends about its founding and name, and the local information boards. Opening hours and fees of the public baths and drinking station may change, so please confirm the latest details through the Akayu Onsen tourism association or Nanyo City before visiting. Please also keep in mind that there are several theories about the founding date.

Visitor Checklist

• Estimated time: About half a day for a bath-hopping tour of the public baths and drinking station
• What to bring: A towel and clothing suited to the season
• Timing tips: Tour the town public baths while tasting the spring water at the drinking station
• Highlights: The spring said to be over 900 years old, the legend of discovery by Minamoto no Yoshitsuna, and the drinking station of this drinkable hot spring
• Note: Follow the facility guidance for drinking the water and enjoy it in moderatio

Practical Information for Your Visit

• Public bathhouse "Yukotto": 3004-1 Akayu, Nanyo City. Open 6:00-22:00, closed on Tuesdays (Thursday instead when Tuesday is a public holiday). 300 yen per visit for adults, 100 yen for elementary school pupils and younger, free of charge for children under 3. Parking: car park No. 1 (60 spaces) and No. 2 (11 spaces). It has a large bath fed by free-flowing spring water and the only open-air bath among the public bathhouses of Akayu
• Public bathhouse "Akayu Motoyu": 754-2 Akayu, Nanyo City. Open 8:00-14:00 and 15:00-21:30, closed on Wednesdays. 240 yen per visit for adults, 100 yen for elementary school pupils and younger. Reception closes 30 minutes before closing time and before the start of the midday cleaning
• Footbath and drinking spring "Akkopoppo-yu": 482-2 Akayu, Nanyo City. Open 24 hours, every day, free of charge. It stands beside the Moriyama source spring and has a drinking-water spring attached
• What to bring: The public bathhouses in the city do not provide shampoo or soap. Bring them along with a towel (some facilities have hairdryers, free or coin-operated)
• Eboshiyama Park: Located in the Akayu Onsen hot spring town, it is one of Japan's "100 Best Cherry Blossom Spots." It has about 1,000 cherry trees of 25 varieties, usually at their best from mid to late April. About 5 minutes by car or about 20 minutes on foot from Akayu Station on the JR and Yamagata Railway lines
• Kumano Taisha: About 10 minutes by car from Akayu Station, and about 15 minutes by car from the Nanyo-Takahata IC on the Tohoku-Chuo Expressway. The car parks near the shrine get crowded, so visitors are directed to use the overflow car park (about a 5-minute walk)

(Sources: Nanyo City official website "Detailed information on the Akayu Onsen public bathhouses and their spring quality and benefits"; Yamagata Prefecture official tourism website "Travel to Yamagata"; Kumano Taisha official website)