Sukayu
Bathe in One of the Oldest Onsen in Japan
Located within Hakkoda Mountains in Aomori Prefecture, lies the famed Sukayu Onsen. Over 300 years old, with it’s timber building the oldest in the area; the onsen is known for its large public mixed bath onsen: Senjin Buro ( the bath of a thousand bathers). It was one of the first onsen along with Nikko Yumoto Onsen and Shima Onsen to be designated a National Recreational hotspring.
There are two other baths available, one for male and one for female, however the mixed bath is still the most popular.
Though we visited in the summer, a random fact I discovered is that Sukayu Onsen is apparently the snowiest inhabited place on Earth with an average yearly snowfall of 17.6m. Despite the intense snowfall, don’t let that deter you from visiting, as the roads to the Onsen are accessible all year round. I can only imagine how beautiful the area would look in winter.
If one enjoys simple traditional Japanese accommodation, Sukayu is still a traditional inn and offers a range of rooms for guests. There are two distinct areas, with one area featuring more recently renovated rooms with either futons or western bedding (some have private toilets); the other area consists of the traditional Toji accommodation where guests sleep in simple tatami rooms and can choose to cook their own food in the nearby kitchen.
This time around, we only did Sukayu Onsen as a day trip as we stayed a couple nights at Nonohana Yakeyamaso in the Oirase Gorge area.
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A Traditional Konyoku “Mixed” Onsen Bath
The mixed bath area is approximately 250square meters. There are four sections within the public bath to explore. The Netsunoyo bath lies at the front with the Shiburokubu bath at the back. Both of them are “divided” by simple sign posts declaring which is the male and female side (so you don’t actually weave in and out between the sexes). So hubby and I would sit side by side by the sign posts to have a chat.
As we were there in summer, the baths were distinctly less busy. However when there were others there, the demographic was entirely male and I was quite possibly the youngest person there.
To the side are the Reinoyu (cold bath) and Yutaki (waterfall bath), which are always nice for a refreshing change before heading back to dip into the two bigger baths. The Netsunoyu is known as the heat bath, named for how a long soak in its waters will warm the body right to the bones. It’s temperature is between 41 -42 degrees. The Shiburokubu bath’s temperature is around 43 degrees, and this slight increase in temperature gives it, it’s namesake “four to six tenths”, as that’s generally how long people can spend to soak in the hotter bath, four to six tenths the time spent in Netsunoyu.
Though we weren’t there at these times (we went after hiking Hakkoda); for two hours each day, 8:00 to 9:00(both AM & PM), the Senninburo is open to women only.
The Female Section of the Public “Konyoku” Onsen
For females to enter the mixed public bath, there is a high wooden wall leading from the changing rooms to the pre-wash area (really just a place to dump some of the water over your body to acclimatise you) and to a small section of the public bath itself. So if you’re not comfortable being naked amidst strangers, stay in the small area of the bath with the high wall, otherwise glide around the corner of the wall and you’ll enter the main area of the mixed bath.
Enjoy Local Soba for Lunch at their Restaurant
Sukayu onsen also features an onsite soba restaurant and omiyage shop which is perfect for day trippers, however you can also choose to stay at the onsen itself in one of it’s tatami rooms and enjoy a traditional Ryokan experience with breakfast and dinner. We decided to do it as a day trip, as we had already decided to stay at Nonohana Yakemaso to be slightly closer to Oirase Gorge & Towada Lake.
SUKAYU ONSEN DETAILS
WEB: SUKAYU
OTHER PLACES TO STAY & THINGS TO DO
Aomori City - explore this metropolitan city at the top of Japan’s main island and it delicious regional flavours
Hakkoda Mountains - hike this picturesque mountain with winding duckboard paths and stunning views
Hirosaki City - meander slowly in this charming city with its historic castle and famed apple pies
Oirase Gorge & Lake Towada- immerse yourself in nature through this lush gorge & wide lake.
Aoni Onsen - travel off the grid into a deep mountain valley to bathe in some restorative onsen waters
Nonahana Yakeyamaso - rest a night in this charming family onsen ryokan near Oirase Gorge with traditional tatami rooms & delicious regional kaiseki
TRAVEL FURTHER
Akita Prefecture - love beautiful rotenburo onsen in nature, make time to visit Akita
Iwate Prefecture - known as the last frontier of a wild Japan
Fukushima Prefecture - the 3rd largest prefecture in Japan has many onsen to enjoy
Yamagata Prefecture- spend a couple nights exploring the beloved Ginzan Onsen
