A winter-only treat! 8 hotels and ryokan in Akita where you can enjoy romantic baths with a view of the snow

When you think of Akita, you think of onsen, Namahage, and Kiritanpo. One of the most famous tourist spots is Lake Tazawa, known as the deepest lake in Japan. Many areas are covered in snow in winter, and many people visit the area to enjoy winter sports, attend festivals such as Yokote Kamakura and the Inukko Festival, and enjoy onsen. It can be a hassle to go outside in winter, but why not visit Akita to find fun, delicious food, and beautiful scenery that are unique to this season?

Among the winter pleasures in Akita, the "yukimi bath" is especially popular. Bathing while watching the snow steadily fall is a romantic and luxurious experience that you can't get in the city. It feels really good to soak in a warm hot onsen in the crisp cold air. You won't get too hot, so you can enjoy the hot onsen at your own pace, and warming your body to the core will also improve your metabolism. In this article, we will introduce hotels and ryokan in Akita where you can enjoy a yukimi bath. Use this as a reference when choosing your accommodation.

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Nyuto onsen Taenoyu is located in Towada-Hachimantai National Natural Park. It is a simple hot spring inn about 50 minutes by bus from JR Tazawako Station, then about 1 minute on foot from the Taenoyu onsen-mae stop. The inn boasts two private onsen springs, Kin no Yu and Gin no Yu, and in winter the open-air baths are the best while looking out at the snow-capped world. Enjoy a long, relaxing bath while listening to the murmuring of the mountain stream flowing in front of you.

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You can choose from five types of rooms, including a Western-style room with twin beds and a Japanese-modern style room. After enjoying the snow-viewing bath, you can relax and do nothing, or check your social media timeline. Get away from the noisy city, forget about the busyness of everyday life, and spend a blissful time returning to your true self.

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For dinner, we recommend the inn's proud "Kiritanpo Nabe" hotpot. Kiritanpo is a well-known local Akita dish made by kneading rice around a wooden skewer, shaping it like a chikuwa fish cake, and grilling it over a hearth. The seasoning, which is unique to Taenoyu, is made from Hinai-jidori chicken broth and soy sauce. The hotpot, which also comes with plenty of vegetables, will warm both your body and your soul.

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Kaniba Onsen, a hidden onsen in Nyuto onsen, is about a 50-minute bus ride from JR Tazawako Station. It is located at the last stop, Nyuto Kaniba onsen. Apparently, the name Kaniba comes from the large number of crabs in the nearby streams. The water is colorless and transparent, which is rare in Nyuto onsen, and is gentle on the skin, making it a beauty bathing water. In addition to wooden and rock baths, there is a mixed-gender open-air bath (photo) in the woods 50 meters from the main building. If you're on a girls' trip, try the ladies-only hours.

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Guests can choose from a Japanese-modern room with flooring (pictured), or a purely Japanese-style room. In winter, the view from the window is of snow. Just watching the snow quietly fall will help you forget your busy daily life and calm your mind. Both the indoor and outdoor hot onsen are available 24 hours a day, so you can relax in your room or take a dip in the hot water. Enjoy a holiday filled with hot onsen.

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After enjoying onsen, you'll be hungry. For dinner, a wide variety of dishes using local seasonal ingredients are served, including Akita specialties "kiritanpo nabe" and "miso-flavored crab nabe." Breakfast also includes dishes that can only be eaten here, such as "one-night dried rock trout filleted." This is an inn that offers plenty of fun in addition to the baths, as well as plenty of food.

Shin-Tamagawa onsen is about an hour and 15 minutes by bus from JR Tazawako Station. This inn boasts healing waters drawn directly from the source of Tamagawa onsen a highly acidic hot spring rare in the world. The open-air bath is surrounded by a beech forest. In winter, snow piles up within easy reach.

The guest rooms include modern Japanese twin rooms, spacious comfort twin rooms, and relaxing Japanese-style rooms, as well as single rooms for solo travelers. This is a Japanese-style twin room with a warm wooden feel. The large windows give the room a sense of openness. After enjoying the snow-viewing bath, relax in your room. You are welcome to take out books from the library corner in the building, so you can relax with your favorite book.

At this inn, there is another way to enjoy the baths with a view of the snow. That is the indoor bedrock bath. A mat is laid on top of heated stones, and all you have to do is lay a towel or blanket on top of that and lie down. The heat promotes metabolism, so it is also effective in improving poor circulation and swelling. Warming up your body from the inside makes you feel more energetic and beautiful!

Both dinner and breakfast are buffets where you can eat as much as you like of whatever you like. The menu uses local ingredients and is made with health and beauty in mind. They also serve Akita local dishes such as "Kiritanpo nabe" and "Hinaichi chicken teppanyaki," and of course the rice is "Akita Komachi." The salad corner has a wide variety of dressings, and you'll want to try them all.

Kamenoi Hotel Tazawako is a onsen inn where you can enjoy natural onsen straight from the source. It is about a 35-minute bus ride from JR Tazawako Station, and is located at the Sugiyachi stop. The hotel is attractive for its rustic open-air baths, and in winter the surrounding area is covered in white snow. Come and soothe your body and mind while experiencing the wonders of nature.

It's a wonderful location with Lake Tazawa below and Mount Akita Komagatake in the background. There are various types of guest rooms available, including the Japanese-style room on the top floor, standard Japanese-style rooms, Japanese-Western rooms, twin rooms, and single rooms. This is a twin room in the East Wing. It's a little far from the front desk, but it's quieter and more relaxed.

For both dinner and breakfast, a wide variety of dishes using locally produced ingredients, including Akita local cuisine, are served. The menu is titled "A delicious buffet of Akita ingredients." Dinner includes the specialty "Kiritanpo nabe," "Hinaichi chicken meatballs," beef steak, and many other dishes. Breakfast includes Akita side dishes such as "Tonburi tororo" and "Zengoro's Yose tofu." The baths are open from 5am, so please enjoy them after working up an appetite.

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Hotel Grand Tenku is a small inn with 19 rooms, nestled in the beech forest of the Tazawako Plateau. It is about a 30-minute bus ride from JR Tazawako Station and a 5-minute walk from Kamikogen Station, in a quiet location far from the city lights and sounds. The open-air observation bath, which has natural onsen spring water flowing directly from the bath, offers a panoramic view of Lake Tazawa. During the winter, windows are installed facing the view to control the temperature onsen, but the entire bath is made of glass, so the view remains the same. When there is a lot of snowfall, the windows can sometimes be covered in snow.

The guest rooms are on the third and fourth floors, and you can see Lake Tazawa and the beech forest from every room. You can choose from standard twin, deluxe twin, Japanese-style room, and special Japanese-Western room.

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For dinner, you can enjoy a course meal with a menu that changes depending on the season and what's available, such as trout and wild vegetables from Lake Tazawa in Akita, and kiritanbo hotpot with Hinai chicken dumplings. The restaurant on the second floor also has a panoramic view of Lake Tazawa, so you can enjoy your meal at your leisure.

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Ryumontei Chiba Ryokan is located in Oyu Onsen, a hot onsen with a history of 800 years. Founded in the Meiji era, this long-established ryokan soothes travelers with its beautiful gardens that change with the seasons and its free-flowing hot springs. The sight of snow piling up in the illuminated garden is amazing, and it feels like you're looking at a painting. To get there, take a taxi from JR Towada-Minami Station for about 20 minutes. Alternatively, take a bus from JR Kazuno Hanawa Station for about 40 minutes, get off at the Oyu onsen bus stop, and walk for about 5 minutes.

There are five types of guest rooms, all of which are calming Japanese-style rooms. This is the "East Wing Garden View Japanese-style Room 10 Tatami Mats" where you can enjoy the scenery of the four seasons. This is a higher-class room with a bath and shower toilet. If you are traveling with a group of girls, you can also choose the "East Wing Garden View Japanese-style Room 15 Tatami Mats" which can accommodate up to seven people.

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Enjoy the gourmet food at "Ajidokoro Akita" for dinner! With the theme of "joy," the restaurant offers a selection of dishes that are visually pleasing and delicious to eat. They offer dishes such as the "Omakase Kaiseki" course, which offers a good balance of mountain and sea flavors, and the "Akita Meat Gourmet Kaiseki" course, which features an array of Akita meat dishes. You can enjoy your meal in a private room or in your room. Relax and savor the bounty of Akita without worrying about the people around you.

Hotel Kazuno is located in a village where Japan's largest stone circle, which holds the mysteries of the Jomon period, is located. This hotel offers the waters of Oyu Onsen, a hot onsen famous for its 800 years of beauty-enhancing waters. It is about a 12-minute taxi ride from JR Towada-Minami Station. Free shuttle service is available with prior reservation. From the open-air bath, you can look out over the wooded mountains, a particularly beautiful sight in the snowy season. Please take your time to warm up your cold body.

There are various types of rooms available, including spacious suites, traditional Japanese-style rooms, Japanese-style rooms with beds, and Western-style rooms. This is a traditional room consisting of a twin bedroom and a 12.5 tatami Japanese-style room. It can accommodate up to six people, making it perfect for groups. Check-out is at 10:00 a.m., but you can extend your check-out time until noon (for a fee), so we recommend staying up late and enjoying the night.

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For dinner, enjoy a Japanese banquet course where you can enjoy seasonal Akita ingredients. Among them, the must-try is the chef's proud kiritanpo hotpot! The broth, which is packed with the flavor of the ingredients, is so delicious you'll want to drink it all up. The Akita-style food will make you chat and leave you feeling satisfied.

Shohoen is located in the Kowakubi onsen, a hidden hot spring in Michinoku. The building dates back to the Taisho era and is a registered tangible cultural property. The hot spring water is a highly concentrated iodine spring, which is rare worldwide. In addition to the large bath where the water flows directly from the source, there is also a private open-air bath (photo) made entirely of cypress, where you can enjoy a bath with a view of the snow in a private space. It is about 6 minutes by car from JR Mineyoshikawa Station. A free shuttle service (reservation required) is also available.

The guest rooms are still in the same condition as when they were completed in 1917, and the transoms, sliding doors, pillars, and other features are all made with the skill of artisans. There are no televisions or refrigerators in the rooms, and no toilets or baths. Dress in the provided work clothes and enjoy the feeling of being transported back to the Taisho period.

For dinner, you can enjoy a variety of local delicacies, such as mokuzu crab, grilled sweetfish, and wild vegetables. Mokuzugani" is characterized by its reddish shell and meat that turns red when cooked, and is served in traditional ways such as "crab brain roasted in the shell" and "river crab soup". After a good night's sleep, you can enjoy freshly cooked "Akita Komachi" and Momi Houen's original tofu the next morning. The meal restaurant is an atmospheric space with the beauty of Japanese architecture condensed into it.

Taking a hot onsen while watching the snow is the ultimate luxury that can only be experienced in winter. When the cold weather continues, you may not want to go outside, but you can take advantage of the cold and experience a bath with a view of the snow! Whether you are traveling alone, with your friends, or as a couple. Please come to Akita and enjoy a romantic time.