Aomori Aomori City
Sukayu Onsen Ryokan
A historic toji inn with five sources of its own flowing into a vast hall built entirely of hiba
- Scenic View
- Nature Immersion
- Onsen Ryokan
- Natural Hot Spring
- Free-flow from source
About Sukayu Onsen Ryokan
Sukayu Onsen Ryokan is a historic onsen inn tucked into the Hakkoda Mountains of Aomori City, Aomori Prefecture. In 1954 (Showa 29) it was named Japan’s first National Health Resort Onsen, and it remains one of the country’s most celebrated baths. Its vast mixed-bathing main bathhouse, Hiba Sennin-buro, is built entirely of hiba, and there are also separate indoor baths for men and women. Water from five sources of its own, rising right on the grounds, is lavishly fed straight from the source, never recirculated. The milky, strongly acidic sulfur-bearing water seeps powerfully into the skin as you soak, wrapped in steam and the scent of hiba. A restaurant serving the inn’s famous soba and rooms set up for proper toji (long therapeutic bathing stays) let you refresh body and mind deep in the wild.
Hot SpringONSEN
(Mixed-bathing main bathhouse) Hiba Sennin-buro
A mixed-bathing main bathhouse spanning a full 160 tatami mats, built entirely of hiba. Four different sources, Netsu-no-Yu, Hie-no-Yu, Shibu-Rokubu-no-Yu and Yutaki, well up steadily, and the scent of hiba and drifting steam fill the enormous hall, which has not a single pillar. The milky, strongly acidic sulfur-bearing water seeps powerfully into the skin, and your whole body can feel the power of a sacred spring that has soothed toji guests for 300 years. Out of consideration for mixed bathing, there are women-only hours in the morning and evening, and dedicated bathing wear is available to rent.
(Separate indoor baths for men and women) Tama-no-Yu
Small hiba baths, separate for men and women, drawing on a source of their own distinct from Hiba Sennin-buro. With washing stations and showers, they let you soak at ease even if mixed bathing isn’t for you. As in Sennin-buro, milky, acidic sulfur-bearing water is fed straight from the source, never recirculated, so you can relax in the warmth of the wood as the heat slowly reaches your core.
Facility Information
- Address
- 50 Sukayu-sawa National Forest, Minami-Arakawayama, Arakawa, Aomori City, Aomori 030-0111
- Business Hours
Bathing available 24 hours; women-only hours in the main bathhouse (8:00–9:00, 20:00–21:00) (Day-use bathing) Mixed-bathing main bathhouse Hiba Sennin-buro 7:00–18:00 / Separate men’s and women’s small baths Tama-no-Yu 9:00–17:00
- Closed Days
- Closed on irregular days. Please check the official website for details.
- Gender Access
- Mixed Gender
- Tattoo Policy (Communal Bath)
- No Tattoos
Members of antisocial organizations, and guests with tattoos that may disturb other guests, are not permitted to bathe.
- Official Website
- View official site
Access
By car
- About 40 min from Aomori-chuo IC on the Tohoku Expressway
- About 50 min from Aomori IC on the Tohoku Expressway
- About 45 min from Kuroishi IC on the Tohoku Expressway
- About 1 hour from Aomori Airport
By train and bus
- JR Aomori Station (East Exit) → JR Bus to Sukayu Onsen-mae, about 1 hr 10 min
- JR Shin-Aomori Station (East Exit) → JR Bus to Sukayu Onsen-mae, about 1 hr 20 min
- Towadako Yasumiya → JR Bus to Sukayu Onsen-mae, about 1 hr 30 min
Shuttle
- Shuttle service from Shin-Aomori Station (overnight guests only, reservation required). Request it when you book
- Departs Shin-Aomori Station at 10:15 / 14:00 (about 1 hour); departs the inn at 8:50 / 12:30
See other onsen and saunas in this area
Aomori
Hakkoda Hotel
A log-built resort embraced by virgin beech forest, with onsen water scented by Aomori hiba
Aomori
Hotel Livemax Hon-Hachinohe Ekimae
A station-front hotel with the celebrated Towada Pony Onsen and a proper sauna
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Spa House Kawamura
Natural onsen fed straight from the source and a true sauna, a place to unwind in Misawa