Old Onsen & Samurai Town

After a few days in Akita town we were excited to explore the Nature side of this prefecture. We rented a car for one day which really is the best way to explore this wild and beautiful area. Let’s explore Tohoku , Japan’s northest prefecture of Honshu island.

Mountains from afar. Akita wilderness all around us. This was the view from Akita train station. Time to get our rental car.
Where are we going actually ?
Today we are going to this very special hot spring called Tsuru no yu onsen , one of the oldest in Japan. It’s also a very remote Onsen which is not easy to access.

After 1h30 of driving we finally reached a narrow snowy road.

Venturing our way through the snowy roads of Akita. It was beautiful to drive in theses roads. Tohoku feels very wild and almost untouched. We are excited to find this secret Onsen now.

Riverside view on our way.

After driving 20 min on a small snowy road in the middle of nowhere we finally reached our destination. Going to Tsuru no yu is a quest as it is far from everything. The journey is more important than the destination isn’t ? Going to this onsen is just an excuse to experience an adventure. This is how it felt.

Tsuru no yu , finally here after almost two hours of driving.

The place is surrounded by small mountains , a river and pine forests. Such a serein feeling. A moment which feels “flat” , a moment where the time seemed to have completely stop. A total break from life. The place is very popular and many tourists comes as it is a special place with a long history.

Tsuru no yu Onsen is the oldest inn in the Nyuto-Onsen Village, which is said to be opened the hot spring in 1701. It is also famous as a hot spring therapy resort of Akita domain.

The main Ryokan where you can sleep but this place is usually booked off up to 6 month ahead !

A very special place that is. We enjoyed a good 3h in the different baths. It was also our first mixed gender bath experience.  The water was so pure. The cold water used was actually from the main river. The feeling inside the bath was unexplainable. Somehow this pure water from the deep layers of the planet affects us. It’s almost like a spiritual moment where your all body relaxes, surrending to this powerful nature. I have never felt that rejuvenated after a hot spring. The water must retain some powers.

A small café in the site.

Cute shrine nearby.

After this amazing experience we took the car again to go to a well-preserved samurai town called Kakudonate.

More sceneries along the way.

Scenic spot. Tohoku beauty.

Arriving in Kakunodate we stopped for a lunch in a rather unusual place who advertised “vegan meals”.

Old house. Is that a Samurai house ?

Welcome to Hyakusein , an old “Bear hunter house” that have been entirely redecorated.

The owner’s son is half Iranian and half Japanese , a rather atypical mix. Inside this restaurant was a real museum with artwork from theses two distinctive cultures. Very interesting place. We had a stroll in the “museum” while our food was getting prepared.

Interesting wood structure design.

Living museum.

Fantastic vegan meal with many small dishes. Probably the best meal I had in Japan. So much taste in each little plate.

Happy days.

We explored a little bit the samurai district afterward but unfortunately, it was already late.

Samurai district, an atmospheric area. The place is also very popular during the Sakura season .
We visited one samurai house just before closing time. We didn’t had enough time but it felt good to visit at least one to understand how was organised the society back in those days.

Good night Hakunodate !
Heading back to Akita now.

Yummy treat at Akita station. Cream cake from local cow farm.

Akita is such a relaxing and wild area , we had a lovely time and it’s definetly not touristy so prices aren’t crazy and it retains a very slow and authentic energy. We loved it and would like to experience in a more welcoming season (winter are pretty cold here).