2026 Kazuno Travel Guide: must-see attractions, popular food, hotels, transport & travel experiences (updated in August)

Yuze Gorge in Akita Prefecture is a breathtakingly beautiful destination, especially during the autumn foliage season when the vibrant colors of the forest create a mesmerizing spectacle! 📍 The best viewing spot is undoubtedly the Hachimantai Bridge, which conveniently has parking spaces nearby. Standing on the bridge, you can gaze down at a magnificent natural painting of red, orange, yellow, and green hues, with a gentle stream winding through the colorful forest. The occasional chirping of birds adds to the serene atmosphere, instantly captivating your senses. Another must-visit location is Yuze Hot Springs. A short walk downhill from the parking lot reveals the grand scenery of the Towada-Hachimantai Four Seasons Line Bridge and the entire valley! The air in the valley is fresh and moist, and taking a deep breath feels like absorbing a burst of negative ion energy. While there are trails leading to the hot springs, you can already enjoy stunning views from halfway up the mountain. However, be cautious of landslide-prone areas and watch your step to ensure safety. This is not just a hot spring village but also a tranquil and healing retreat. At night, stay in a hot spring inn, soak in the warm waters to wash away the fatigue of your journey, and relish the peace of being one with nature. Yuze Gorge offers not only visual splendor but also the healing power of the forest, making it a destination well worth your visit!

#November Getaways 2025 Looking for a place that combines stunning natural beauty, top-notch hot springs, and local cuisine? The Akita Yune Kamenoi Hotel, located in the Yawataramari area of ​​Kazuno City, Akita Prefecture, is the perfect Japanese hot spring resort for complete relaxation! Not only is it close to the "Yuse Valley," one of Akita's New Thirty Views, but it's also certified as a forest therapy trail, making it a paradise for walkers and nature lovers. It's conveniently located just a 3-minute walk from JR Yune Onsen Station. ✨ Three Must-Try Highlights 1. Gentle Hot Springs and Spacious Design The hotel boasts multiple indoor and outdoor hot spring baths with alkaline water at pH 9.0, gentle enough for sensitive skin. Yune Onsen is renowned as "the most beautiful hot spring in Tohoku," offering a truly therapeutic experience. Furthermore, the spacious and elegant lobby is adorned with various art installations, creating a comfortable space filled with Japanese aesthetics. 2. A Feast of Akita Local Cuisine The hotel specializes in local dishes and creative kaiseki cuisine made with fresh ingredients from Akita and the Tohoku region. Signature dishes such as the Hinai Chicken and Kasai Hot Pot offer the most authentic Akita flavors. Breakfast: Abundant and exquisite, with a wide variety of Akita specialties displayed on the table. Replenishment is rapid, making it hard to choose! Late Night Surprise: Complimentary special dan dan noodles are served every night at 9 PM, providing a delicious ending to your hot spring trip. 3. A Comfortable and Tranquil Accommodation Experience The hotel offers various room types, including pure Japanese style and Japanese-Western style, all equipped with modern facilities. The environment is extremely tranquil and comfortable, far from the hustle and bustle, allowing you to focus on enjoying the healing power of nature and the warmth of the hot springs. Helpful Reminder Due to the quiet surroundings and lack of large shopping malls, it is recommended to bring your own supplies before arrival. However, a small shop is available on-site until 9 PM to meet basic needs. This was a wonderful stay, highly recommended for anyone seeking natural healing and delicious hot springs!

This Shikaku Onsen Hotel located in Shikaku City, Akita Prefecture, It is a large hotel of scale in the city. The open-air bath faces the forest and is a luxurious large rock bath with a sodium chloride spring that makes the skin very smooth and can't be put down. The indoor bath area is small, but the spring water temperature and locker room temperature are also very good. Breakfast is buffet style, with curry rice and free coffee in the lobby. The dinner was very rich. The pork belly, salmon and eggplant are delicious. The salad vegetables are fresh. There is a coin-operated washing machine in the hotel. The shop has many original souvenirs. Address-Nakayachi-5-1 Towadaoyu, Kazuno, Akita 018-5421 Japan Environment/Facilities - Large bath, open-air bath and indoor bath. Price per person - $1800 (one night, two meals) Rating -💜💜💜💜💜💜 #parent-child destination #hot spring hotel #open-air bath #japanese hot spring #Tokyo hotel

· Name Yuze Onsen · Access Take the JR train from JR Morioka Station for 100 minutes and get off at Yuze Onsen Station The Iwate Galaxy Railway is a relaxing way to enjoy the scenery · Points You can enjoy a relaxing time in the bathtub, surrendering yourself to nature The building is made with a lot of wood, based on the concept of "enveloped in the forests of Akita" The open-air bath where you can listen to the murmuring of the mountain stream and enjoy the magnificent scenery is also exceptional The view from the open-air bath is exceptional during the seasons of fresh greenery and autumn leaves #Akita #Onsen #Natural scenery #Onsen trip

We picked up our rental car at Akita Airport and set off. The scenic drive was incredibly relaxing, with stunning mountain views and idyllic countryside landscapes stretching as far as the eye could see. Lake Tazawa is absolutely gorgeous. Unfortunately, it rained, so we couldn't go on a boat ride, but taking a stroll around was just as enjoyable. There are shops nearby where you can pick up some souvenirs. Kakunodate is beautiful, and its historic houses are perfectly preserved. The soba and udon noodles were absolutely delicious, and the locals were so friendly and welcoming. Akita is definitely a fantastic travel destination!

#japanhotel Yuze Hotel Resort offers a serene and restorative escape surrounded by the natural beauty of northern Akita’s mountains and rivers. Known for its soothing hot springs and peaceful environment, the resort is an excellent destination for travelers seeking relaxation, wellness, and a deep connection with nature. The rooms are spacious, comfortable, and designed to enhance restfulness, often featuring views of the surrounding forested landscape. The quiet atmosphere makes it easy to unwind, whether staying for a short break or a longer restorative holiday. A highlight of the resort is its variety of onsen baths, including both indoor and outdoor options. The natural mineral waters are especially appreciated for their calming and skin-soothing effects. Bathing outdoors while surrounded by seasonal scenery lush greenery, autumn colors, or snowy landscapes—creates a memorable experience. Dining at the resort showcases local Akita ingredients, with carefully prepared meals that reflect regional flavors and seasonal freshness. Yuze Hotel Resort is ideal for travelers who value relaxation, natural hot springs, and a peaceful mountain setting away from urban stress.

#springtravel Fukenoyu Onsen in Akita Prefecture is the kind of place you go when you want to completely disconnect and relax in nature. Tucked away in the mountains of Hachimantai, the atmosphere feels raw and untouched with steam rising from natural hot spring pools all around. The outdoor baths are the highlight where you can soak while surrounded by fresh air, rocks, and open landscapes that change with the seasons. It feels especially magical in colder weather when the steam contrasts with the crisp air. The facilities are simple but that adds to the authentic charm of a traditional hidden onsen. It is quiet and not overly crowded so you can truly unwind at your own pace. Overall it is a perfect retreat for anyone who loves natural hot springs and peaceful surroundings in Akita Prefecture away from busy city life completely.

#StylishInn If someone asks me, "Do you have any recommended hot springs?", I would answer without hesitation: this place 😌❤️ Located in Hachimantai at an altitude of approximately 1,000m, this single inn suddenly appears amidst the billowing steam of the mountains. This is the famous Goshogake Onsen, a hot spring with a 300-year history, which has been celebrated since ancient times with the saying, "Come by horse and return in sandals." ♨️ Many people may know it as it appeared in Thermae Romae…? 📖 Before going, I thought, "It's just an old hot spring in the middle of the mountains," but in a good way, it completely defied my expectations 🥺￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣【Rooms】You can choose from three buildings: the main building, the new building, and the therapeutic bathing building. The inn is newly built and comfortable, and there's even a stylish cafe ◎It's surprisingly clean for being deep in the mountains, and the moment you step into the room, you feel relaxed in this calming Japanese-style room 🥰【Hot Springs】The spring water is a simple sulfur spring. This was truly better than any other hot spring I've ever been to...! The water is a cloudy grayish-white due to the high mud content, and the source is about 90 degrees Celsius. All seven baths are free-flowing with only added water, showing their dedication 💪 It was so much fun moving from one bath to another, each with its own unique character: mud bath, volcanic bath, box steam bath, waterfall bath, steam sauna, and open-air bath. Before I knew it, I had been soaking for hours 🥺 The mud bath, in particular, is known for its high skin-beautifying effects, leaving your skin smooth, and my skin felt incredibly smooth every time I got out of the bath! It was an experience that made my skin so smooth it felt like my pores had disappeared, and it's hard to describe in words, so you really have to experience it for yourself 😳✨ [Facilities] One experience you can only have here is the geothermal ondol 🌡️ "Moegi," an ondol room where the floor is heated by geothermal energy, offers therapeutic effects just by lying down. Guests can experience it from 16:00 to 21:30 at no extra charge. I thought it would be something like a hot stone bath, but when I lay down on a towel on a mat, it felt really good, and after a while I was sweating profusely. It felt like all the waste products were being released, and after the hot springs it felt so good that I could barely move 😂 [Dinner] Each dish was made with care and looked beautiful. It was a Japanese meal using Akita's local cuisine and seasonal ingredients, and the kiritanpo hot pot was also exquisite 🍲 [Breakfast] A well-balanced Japanese breakfast, and having breakfast in the clear mountain air was especially wonderful ☀️━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━❤️Recommended Points━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━✔️ An overwhelming bathing experience where you can tour 7 simple sulfur springs with free-flowing water ♨️✔️ Mud baths make your skin smooth! You can only experience the skin-beautifying effects at Goshogake 🧖✔️ Geothermal ondol experience is free for guests! A unique experience unlike a hot stone bath 🌡️✔️ Observe the volcano up close on the Goshogake Nature Research Trail, which you can walk for free from behind the inn 🌋✔️ The souvenirs are also unique, including the famous "black eggs" boiled in the hot spring water, mud soap, and mud packs 🥚✔️ The rooms are clean and well-maintained, and the meals are delicious, which is surprising considering it's deep in the mountains 🍽️━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━⚠️Important Note━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━⚠️ Access is honestly a bit difficult. It's about a 40-minute drive from Kazuno Hachimantai IC, but if you take the train, it's a long journey with bus transfers, so be prepared 🚗⚠️ You'll need to go up and down stairs many times to get to the front desk, restaurant, and hot springs, and there's no elevator, so be aware if you have mobility issues 🪜⚠️ During the winter (mid-November to mid-April), the Aspite Line is closed and the access route changes significantly, so check in advance if visiting outside of the season ❄️ Spot Information ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━📍 Goshogake Onsen Ryokan (300 years since opening, a secluded inn in Hachimantai) 🗺 Address: 〒018-5141 Kumazawa National Forest, Hachimantai, Kazuno City, Akita Prefecture 🚗 Access: [By car] About 40 minutes via the Aspite Line from "Kazuno Hachimantai IC" on the Tohoku Expressway / Free parking available. [Bus/Shuttle Service] Morioka Station → Iwate Prefectural Bus bound for Hachimantai Summit (approx. 130 minutes) → Hachimantai Summit bus stop → 20 minutes by inn shuttle bus (reservations required) / Summer (April-November): Tazawako Station → Get off at Aspite Line Entrance bus stop → 10 minutes by Dragon bus (reservations required, separate fee applies) #GoshogakeOnsen #HotSprings #DomesticTravel #AkitaTravel #AccommodationReview

#February Getaway 2026 Akita Oyu Onsen Kazuno Hotel Upon entering the room, the spacious interior felt inviting and comfortable. There were two chairs and a table by the window, and a tea table with two chairs in front of the TV. The room featured a separate bathroom with a toilet and sink. In addition to two single beds, there were also makeshift beds available in the display window. The window offered panoramic views of the snow-capped mountains, evoking a sense of tranquility and belonging. Dinner was sumptuous, featuring dishes made with ingredients from the Hachimantai and Kazuno regions. A delicious and satisfying meal! Guests could enjoy the exquisite grilled rice hot pot, a specialty of the birthplace of grilled rice, as well as local Wagyu beef curry! The most heartwarming moment was the farewell from the manager and staff upon departure, making the guest feel truly welcome. #KazunoHotel #Akita

Towada tourism and fruit picking, Aomori apple orchard

#CommentCircle Hot spring lovers! Please tell us your recommended hot springs!! The best one I've ever been to is Goshogake Onsen, a hidden hot spring in Akita Prefecture.♨️ The water quality was so amazing, my skin became so smooth.☺️ Ochiairou, shown in the first photo, offers private hot springs and even a tea room sauna, so I highly recommend it.❤️ #HotSprings #DomesticTravel

#JapanTravelStrategy Looking back on the places I went to in the first half of 2025 and ranking the best spots I went to❤️ January_____________________・Awaji Island, Kobe, Osaka / Hyogo Prefecture, Osaka Prefecture (Ikuta Shrine, Awaji Yumebutai, Izanagi Shrine), Disneyland & Sea / Chiba Prefecture, Nikko Kanaya Hotel / Tochigi Prefecture February______________________・Hotel New Akao / Shizuoka Prefecture March_____________________・Ise-Shima Toba / Mie Prefecture (Ise Shrine, Mikimoto Pearl Island, Dolphin Island, Toba Aquarium, Shima Spain Village) April_______________________・Morioka, Tsunagi Onsen / Iwate Prefecture (Wankosoba, Iwate Bank Red Brick Museum, Morioka Hachimangu Shrine, Koiwai Farm) May______________________________________・Mizusawa Onsenkyo, Nyuto Onsenkyo, Goshogake Onsen / Akita Prefecture (Lake Tazawa, Gozaishi Shrine, Lake Hosen, Aspite Line)・Awashima Hotel / Shizuoka Prefecture・Osaka Expo / Osaka Prefecture June______________________________________・Cairns / Australia (Green Island, Atherton Tableland, Kuranda, Great Barrier Reef) ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━❤️Top 3 places worth visiting━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━🥇Cairns I stayed for about 10 days, but I was very satisfied because I was able to enjoy the rich nature 💯 I was able to hold a koala, and it was amazing to enjoy the Great Barrier Reef by helicopter and diving 🥰❤️ Above all, I'm happy that it was my first time in Australia 🇦🇺 31st country ☺️ 🥈 Goshogake Onsen A hidden hot spring in Akita that I've always wanted to go to ♨️ My skin really became smooth! I was surprised 😳 An impressive hot spring! I recommend staying overnight ✨ A hot spring that I definitely want to go to again 🥉 Awashima Hotel It's so luxurious that I was surprised. The hotel you go to by boat. The rooms are only suites, but they are beautiful and have a hot spring, and the inside of the building is like a museum, it was wonderful 🥰

#AccommodationTravelRecordsYuse Hotel in Kazuno City, Akita Prefecture is a hotel with the best hot springs and food. Food is basically buffet style. There are many Akita local delicacies such as Kiritanpo and Hinai Jidori hotpot. Kiritanpo has a chewy texture and the soup is soy sauce based and very delicious. The open-air hot spring is the best. The scenery is a magnificent natural view and it is very relaxing. Just a short soak in the hot spring warms up your body immediately. Your fatigue will disappear in no time. If you are looking for hot springs and food, Yuze Hotel is recommended!

The festival that represents Kazuno City, Akita Prefecture is "Hanawa Bayashi". There is a roadside station where the floats used in the festival are displayed. That is "Kazuno Antra Roadside Station". At this exhibition booth, you can watch videos that teach you about the festival and actually try beating the taiko drums. You can also buy locally grown produce and souvenirs! It seems that they also rent bicycles for free, and you can use them if you ask the office. You can park your car here and go around Kazuno Hanawa by bicycle! 📍Kazuno Antra Roadside Station Address: 11-4 Hanawa Shinden-cho, Kazuno City, Akita Prefecture 018-5201 Opening hours: 9:00-18:00 #0 yen trip #domestic travel #Akita sightseeing

I've never eaten such delicious grilled offal! Seriously delicious! This may be the most delicious thing I've ever eaten... You can eat this kind of offal at "Hormone Kouraku" in Kazuno City, Akita Prefecture. Stir-fry offal, firm tofu, and cabbage in a Genghis Khan hotpot. At the end, add udon noodles, soak them in the broth from the offal, and they're absolutely delicious! ! It's so delicious you'll get addicted to it. They also sell it online, so if you can't go, try buying it! 📍Hormone Kouraku Address: 5 Hanawa Sekimuki, Kazuno City, Akita Prefecture 018-5201 Business hours: 9:00-21:30 #0 yen trip #domestic travel #Akita sightseeing

This time, we will introduce "Kazuno Hanawa Station", the gateway to the city where the festival "Hanawa Bayashi", one of the three major musical accompaniments in Japan, which is registered as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage, and the "Kazuno Hanawa Neputa", where a Neputa float in the shape of a king's piece is pulled, are held. The old-fashioned wooden station building is full of charm and melancholy. There is also a rest area inside the station. 📍Kazuno Hanawa Station Hanawa Shimonakajima, Kazuno City, Akita Prefecture #0 yen travel #domestic travel #great views of Japan #Akita sightseeing

#AccommodationReport The Oyu Stone Circle is a Jomon period site located in Kazuno City, Akita Prefecture, and is one of the largest megalithic sites in Japan. The stone circle is a series of circular stone pillars with a diameter of about 40 meters, with a space inside, where it is believed that various ceremonies and events were held. This site was built in the late Jomon period about 5,000 years ago, and is a valuable resource for learning about the lives, beliefs, and social structure of people at that time. Based on the arrangement and size of the stone pillars and the surrounding remains, it is speculated that it was used as a place for daily ceremonies and meetings. The Oyu Stone Circle is designated as a national historic site, and is visited by many tourists and researchers. There are also facilities and exhibits around the site where you can learn about the life and culture of the Jomon period, so by visiting the site together with the ruins, you can gain a deeper understanding of its history.

We booked a superior view twin room with an open-air bath. The room was very spacious and the fridge was stocked with free premium malt draught beer, apple juice and green tea. The view from the open-air bath in the room is nice, but it can be seen from the hotel annex, so be careful when entering the bath. The baths here are separated by gender, with the 1st floor for women and the B1 floor for men. There is also a large indoor bath and an open-air bath outside, but it is very small and can accommodate about 3 to 4 people. There is a semi-open-air bath on the upper floor. The area is quite large, and you can soak in the hot spring while watching the stream flowing. The scenery is very beautiful. There is a lounge in the hotel where you can enjoy free sake, shochu, whiskey, plum wine, rice crackers, chocolate, biscuits and porridge after soaking in the hot springs. Breakfast and dinner are also buffet style, with a wide variety of choices, especially sashimi and wild vegetables, which are very fresh and delicious. Address-Yuzeyubata-43 Hachimantai, Kazuno, Akita 018-5141 Japan Price per person: hk$2500 (including breakfast and dinner) Rating - 💜💜💜💜💜 #JapanTravel #Open-airBath #JapaneseOnsenHotel #foodie