Akakura Onsen
赤倉温泉36°54′ N 138°11′ EOnsen town¥600, about CAD 5.40 or USD 3.80 (October 2026 rates)
Akakura Onsen is the hot-spring village at the foot of Myoko's Akakura ski areas, and in winter you bathe in hotel baths that take day visitors because the public Taki no Yu closes from early November to late April.
Photo Raita Futo from Tokyo, Japan · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.0 and others, credited in the gallery
Know before you bathe
Wash at the taps before you get in and keep your towel out of the water. Hotel baths belong to the guests first, so day visitors leave when the front desk asks.
Getting there
Akakura sits at about 800 m below the Akakura Onsen and Akakura Kanko ski areas. Myoko-Kogen Station on the Myoko Haneuma Line is the nearest railhead.
Takada's domain lord Sakakibara Masanaga opened Akakura in 1816, and it is the biggest of the seven spa villages Myoko Tourism groups on the mountain's flanks. Its water travels down by pipe from the Kitajigokudani valley high on Mt. Myoko. The tourism office says writers and other notable figures loved the place.
From December to March your bath is a hotel bath. On the tourism office's April 2026 list Akakura Wakui Hotel charges ¥600 from 15:00 to 20:00 and Kogen Hotel Taizan ¥800 from 15:00 to 21:00. Akakura Hotel opens its bath from 10:00 for ¥1,000, and Hotel Taiko asks ¥1,200 between 14:00 and 18:00 but closes in summer. Any of them can turn day guests away on a busy night.
Once the snow has gone, the public Taki no Yu opens its rock pools, and a free covered foot bath in the village runs from late April to late November before it too shuts for winter.
Worth knowing
- Ring the hotel before you walk over in a snowstorm, since day bathing stops whenever a hotel fills up.
- Kogakuro's day bath also appears on the list at ¥800, but only outside the winter months.
Quick answers about Akakura Onsenよくある質問
Can you use Akakura Onsen's baths without staying the night?
Yes. Several Akakura Onsen hotels take day bathers for ¥600 to ¥1,200 on Myoko Tourism's April 2026 list, and the outdoor Taki no Yu takes them from late April to early November.
Is Taki no Yu in Akakura Onsen open in winter?
No. Taki no Yu closes for winter and opens from late April to early November, so winter visitors to Akakura Onsen use hotel baths.
Do Akakura Onsen's baths allow tattoos?
Myoko Tourism publishes no tattoo rule for Akakura Onsen, so ask at each hotel's front desk before you pay.
How much does Akakura Onsen cost?
Prices at Akakura Onsen start at ¥600 per adult (2026), about CAD 5.40 or USD 3.80 (October 2026 rates).
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In the journal
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Snow feature · 11 min read
Where should you base a week of deep snow in Myoko?
Akakura Onsen makes the best base for most riders, with two ski areas above its main street and the Mt. MYOKO shuttle to Ikenotaira and Suginohara. Save Seki Onsen for the morning after a storm and Arai for a day of lift-served freeride.
Comparison · 10 min read
Which ski-hill onsen towns are best for a soak after the last lift?
Nozawa puts thirteen free public baths a short walk from the lifts. Kusatsu is the clearest answer for tattooed riders, and Shibu and Ginzan give their best baths to the people who stay the night.