♨️Ryokan with outdoor baths worth booking a year out
Private or scenic rotenburo only, not just 'has an onsen'. Booking calendars open early, plan ahead.
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1
Tsurunoyu Onsen (Nyuto Onsen, Akita)
the milky blue mixed bath is the famous one. book the ryokan itself a year out for snow season, off-peak weekdays are more realistic
2
Kuroyu Onsen (Nyuto Onsen, Akita)
quieter, more rustic neighbor to Tsurunoyu in the same valley. no fancy website so call ahead
3
Takaragawa Onsen Osenkaku (Minakami, Gunma)
4
Sekizenkan (Shima Onsen, Gunma)
the Mori no Yu open-air bath, honkan building dates to 1691. day-trippers get the Roman-style Genroku bath instead
5
Yamabiko Ryokan (Kurokawa Onsen, Kumamoto)
6
Kounoyu (Kurokawa Onsen, Kumamoto)
buy the Nyuto Tegata pass for ¥1,500, hop between three rotenburo instead of committing to one ryokan. bring an IC card for the train
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