Yamagata Onsen-do

Yamagata Onsen-do (やまがた温泉道) is a prefecture-wide onsen stamp rally that started on September 26, 2026, Japan's "Bath Day" (お風呂の日, ofuro no hi, a pun on 2-6). You tour participating baths across Yamagata's four areas, Murayama, Mogami, Shonai and Okitama, and collect a commemorative stamp (nyuto-kinen-in, 入湯記念印) at each one in a dedicated booklet, the goyuincho (御湯印帳). As the stamps add up you climb the ranks (dan-i, 段位) toward the title of Onsen Yu Meijin (温泉ゆ〜名人), the "Onsen Master".

Yamagata calls itself an onsen kingdom (onsen okoku, 温泉王国), and with reason: every one of its 35 municipalities has a hot spring, and there are more than 130 onsen areas across the prefecture. The rally was set up to share that onsen culture and pass it on.

It is run by the Yamagata Onsen-do executive committee (やまがた温泉道実行委員会), a group of local onsen sommeliers, together with the Yamagata Prefectural Tourism Association. The rally is modelled on Beppu's famous Beppu Hatto Onsen-do, with Beppu's blessing, and the committee chair is herself a Beppu Onsen-do master. 86 facilities take part, from Zao's sulphur-scented shared baths to Hijiori's riverside inns and the seaside public baths of Yunohama, and every one has its own custom-made stamp.

There is no end date: go at your own pace.

How it works

1. Get the booklet. The official guidebook and the goyuincho are sold together as a set for ¥500 at participating facilities, tourist associations, roadside stations (michi-no-eki) and train stations. Not every facility sells it: 57 of the 86 do (marked ♨ in the guidebook), and stock varies, so ask ahead. Participating facilities put out a small pink "やまがた温泉道 参加施設" flag (nobori).
2. Bathe, then stamp. At each facility, take a bath, then ask at reception for the Onsen-do stamp. One stamp per facility per booklet, and only the Onsen-do stamp counts.
3. Mind the ◆ marks. 16 facilities are marked ◆ in the guidebook: they take part for overnight guests only, and their stamp is given to guests who stay the night. On this page they carry an "overnight guests only" note.
4. Cover all four areas. Each round of 33 needs at least one stamp from each of Murayama, Mogami, Shonai and Okitama; the rest is your choice. In the second and third rounds the four-area rule applies again, and you can stamp facilities you visited before.

The ranks

• 11 baths: Shokyu (初級, beginner). White towel, certification fee ¥800.
• 22 baths: Chukyu (中級, intermediate). Light blue towel, ¥1,000.
• 33 baths, including all four areas: Onsen Yu Meijin (温泉ゆ〜名人), the master rank. Black towel lettered in gold and a serial-numbered certificate, ¥2,500.
• 66 baths (a second round): Meiyo Meijin (名誉名人, honorary master). Purple towel lettered in gold and a certificate, ¥3,000.
• 99 baths (a third round): Eisei Meijin (永世名人, lifetime master). Pale pink towel lettered in gold and a certificate, ¥3,000.

To apply, email photos of the booklet's stamp pages to the committee ([email protected]) and pay the fee by bank transfer; the account details are in the guidebook. Once the payment is confirmed, the towel and certificate are posted to you. You can apply for several ranks at once, or skip straight past Shokyu and Chukyu. From Onsen Yu Meijin up, stamps from all four areas are required.

Earn the badge

Onsen Oni mirrors the three master ranks as badges, Yamagata Onsen Yu Meijin, Yamagata Meiyo Meijin and Yamagata Eisei Meijin, drawn as Tendo shogi pieces in black, purple and vermillion lacquer (Tendo makes most of Japan's shogi pieces, and meijin is also shogi's top title). Once you are certified, claim yours here.

Good to know

• The numbers on this page (#1 to #86) are the facility numbers from the official guidebook's list, and the places are grouped by area in the same order.
• The committee posted a correction sheet for the first printing of the guidebook (dated September 22, 2026), fixing a few phone numbers, addresses, prices and closing days. It is in the official Facebook group, which is the rally's main channel for news until its website launches.
• The guidebook's hours and prices are as of September 2026, and some are changing this autumn, so check each facility's page before you go.
• At communal baths (kyodo-yu, 共同湯) and small local baths, follow that bath's own house rules.

The member facilities

The list on this page is matched to Onsen Oni's own catalog, so each facility links through to its full page with map, hours and details.