Akakura Onsen Yukemurikan

This day-use bathhouse in Akakura Onsen has two main baths, each with a rotenburo, that swap between men and women depending on whether the date is odd or even: one has a large rotenburo along with a sauna and a cold plunge, the other a smaller rotenburo. A third bath, Toge no Yu (峠の湯), can be booked as a private room. The water is soft, smooth on the skin and quite hot, so it is best taken in short stretches. The rotenburo sit in a garden setting, with bamboo growing close by. The two main baths, Basho no Yu (芭蕉の湯) and Sora no Yu (曾良の湯), are named for the poet Matsuo Basho and his travel companion Sora, a nod to Oku no Hosomichi (奥の細道), the travel journal the whole building takes its name from. Alongside the baths there is a small shop with local produce, a free tatami rest room, and a corner near the entrance where visitors can boil their own eggs in the spring water.