Iwate Hanamaki City
A famous hot spring where you can enjoy natural free-flowing hot springs and a mixed-gender open-air bath associated with Kenji Miyazawa
"Oosawa Onsen Sansuikaku" is a hot spring inn in Hanamaki, Iwate Prefecture. From its famous mixed-gender open-air bath to six baths with distinct atmospheres, you can fully enjoy abundant free-flowing natural hot spring water at your leisure. The refined, traditional Japanese modern architecture blends beautifully with the setting, while guest rooms overlook the murmuring Tohyazawa River and the changing beauty of the gorge through the seasons. With three private family baths as well, it offers the ultimate hot-spring healing experience, where you can relax in quiet comfort over Japanese meals that make the most of local seasonal flavors.
A luxurious large bath reserved for guests staying at Sansuikaku. The indoor bath, with its high ceiling and large glass windows, offers a spacious, open feel. It also has a refreshing open-air bath where you can feel the pleasant breeze across the river, letting you soak deeply in the warmth of the renowned spring while listening to the murmuring Tohyazawa River and taking in the poetic beauty of the mountains through the seasons.
A large bath whose huge glass doors are fully opened from spring through autumn, turning it into a comfortable semi-open-air bath. Designed to blend in with the flow of the Tohyazawa River, it lets you enjoy bathing as if you were part of the beautiful riverscape. It is separate for men and women and is especially popular with female guests. In winter, the glass is installed, allowing you to bathe in a warm indoor setting while looking out at the snowy scenery.
The signature large mixed-gender open-air bath that has long been loved by Kenji Miyazawa and many others, and is one of the iconic baths of Oosawa Onsen. Built in a rock-bath style directly in front of the Tohyazawa River, it offers a wonderfully wild sense of openness when viewed from the same level as the river surface. At night, women-only hours are also available, allowing you to experience authentic hot-spring culture and feel the richness of the spring water and the breath of nature with your own skin.
A retro-modern indoor bath at Tojiya that conveys the atmosphere of a traditional healing hot-spring retreat to the present day. Abundant free-flowing hot spring water pours constantly into the tiled tub. Known as a warming bath that is very gentle on the skin and warms you thoroughly from the core, it softly eases everyday fatigue and tension.
An open-air bath at Tojiya reserved for female guests. From here, you can closely enjoy the murmuring Tohyazawa River right in front of you and the beautiful natural scenery of the satoyama, which changes with each season. It is a luxurious space where you can quietly enjoy a private bath, letting yourself relax in a tub filled with fresh hot spring water without worrying about those around you.
Three private family baths reserved for guests staying at Sansuikaku, where you can enjoy the hot spring at your own pace in a private space. Families and groups can take in the beautiful views of the Tohyazawa River and the opposite bank without worrying about others. Plenty of soft, simple alkaline hot spring water is poured in, offering a blissful moment in which even guests with small children or elderly family members can enjoy exclusive use of this famous spring with peace of mind.
[Day-use bathing] 07:00–21:00 (last reception 20:30) *Reception at Tojiya. Available baths: Tohyzawa no Yu at Sansuikaku and the baths at Tojiya.
52 Extraordinary Destinations
A curator who has visited over 300 facilities nationwide handpicks 52 exceptional ones they wholeheartedly recommend. The only guidebook that deeply explores the allure of onsen and sauna—plus culture and etiquette.
