Akayu Onsen Tanbakan

Tanbakan is a ryokan at Akayu Onsen (赤湯温泉) in Yamagata, with two baths that swap between men and women each day: a large bath with a rock-built open-air pool, and a smaller bath that's indoor only, both in stone. The water is clear, leaves skin smooth, and keeps you warm well after you get out; some guests notice a light sulfur scent. The building keeps the look it has had since the Meiji era, with an old storehouse renovated into a Japanese-modern space, and dinner is built around a kaiseki course of Yonezawa beef. Akayu Onsen's own founding story, about 900 years old, tells of a wounded warrior's men bathing here until the water ran red, which is how the spring got its name, aka-yu, "red hot water".

The water analysis certificate (onsen bunsekisho温泉分析書 (おんせんぶんせきしょ)Official water analysis certificate for the onsen, documenting its mineral composition, temperature, and classification. Usually displayed at the entrance to the bathing area.More in the glossary) and other papers, as photographed.

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  Yamagata Onsen-do

  A prefecture-wide onsen stamp rally across 86 baths in Yamagata, launched in 2026. Collect stamps in all four areas, Murayama, Mogami, Shonai and Okitama, and climb the ranks toward Onsen Master.

  Area

  Okitama

  No.

  79

  View program