Iwate Hanamaki City
Finnish-style sauna and Tohoku's only free-flowing carbonated spring
"Towa Onsen" is a day-use hot spring facility adjacent to the roadside station Towa in Hanamaki City, Iwate Prefecture. Its pride and joy is a rare high-concentration carbonated spring with free-flowing water, one of the few of its kind in Tohoku, which promotes blood circulation and warms you from the core. The sauna uses an authentic Finnish style, and you can enjoy the pleasant steam and heat created by self-löyly. The spacious open-air bath, natural cold plunge bath whose temperature changes with the seasons, and a wide variety of other baths make for a well-rounded soaking experience. With skin-friendly mildly alkaline water and excellent sauna facilities, you can spend a blissful time here.
A mildly alkaline simple hot spring. With a low level of irritation and a skin-friendly spring quality, it is known for the freshness that comes from completely replacing the water every day. In particular, the free-flowing carbonated spring offers strong benefits for promoting blood circulation and is a famous spring unique to Towa Onsen, delivering excellent effects for both beauty and health.
An authentic Finnish-style sauna. Self-löyly is available, allowing you to pour water over the sauna stones. The rising steam instantly raises the perceived temperature and encourages deep sweating. Filled with the scent of wood and a comfortable level of humidity, it is a space where even serious sauna enthusiasts can enjoy a fully satisfying sauna experience.
An essential cold plunge bath for cooling down after the sauna. It uses natural water, and the water temperature changes with the seasons, letting you feel the breath of nature. The roomy tub lets you relax as you soak, gently yet thoroughly cooling your body after heating it up with self-löyly.
Irregular Holidays
Hanamaki Onsenkyo
A famous hot spring where you can enjoy natural free-flowing hot springs and a mixed-gender open-air bath associated with Kenji Miyazawa
Hanamaki Onsenkyo
Hanamaki Onsenkyo
Enjoy bath-hopping across 17 different baths and 3 large public baths
JAPAN'S FINEST ONSEN & SAUNA
The Finest Onsen & Sauna in Japan
57 SELECTIONS
Most of what we surveyed never even made it onto this site. This book is a further cut from what did. Our editor bathed in every onsen and sauna in it, and wrote only what they confirmed on the ground.
