Kyukamura Nyuto Onsenkyo

Kyukamura's lodge is a modern building set in beech forest, and the Ugo Kotsu bus stops right outside at Kyukamura-mae, about 45 minutes from Tazawako Station. All 38 rooms are non-smoking. Most are tatami rooms of eight or ten mats, and the rest are Western twins, three of them with a bathtub.

Two springs flow without recirculation. Nyuto no Yu is a reddish-brown sodium bicarbonate spring that runs a little cool, and Kogen no Yu is a milky simple sulphur spring that runs hotter. The outdoor pool sits among the beeches and turns into a snow-viewing bath in winter. Guests bathe from check-in to midnight and again from 5:00 to 9:00, and there's no private bath to book.

Meals are buffets of Akita home cooking, and the shop pours single shots of local sake to taste before you buy. Taenoyu, Ogama and Ganiba are within walking distance, and Kuroyu is about 25 minutes away through the beech wood. Rakuten Travel's listing says the lodge offers transport to Tazawako ski area, about 15 minutes by car, so confirm the times when you book.