Toshichi Onsen

Toshichi Onsenhighest in Tohokusulphuropen-air bathHachimantai

Iwate · Hachimantai

39.9186°N, 141.0134°E

Toshichi sits at 1,400 metres on the flank of Hachimantai, the highest hot spring in the Tohoku region, and the water comes up through the floor of the baths themselves — milky white sulphur rising through the gravel you are sitting on. The open-air baths are terraced down the hillside with almost nothing between them and the sky.

Above the cloud layer on a clear morning you look out over a sea of cloud with Mt. Iwate standing out of it, which is the reason people book months ahead for a night here. The road is closed by snow for half the year, so the inn opens around late April and shuts at the end of October. Day bathing is ¥600 for adults and runs from eight in the morning to six in the evening.

Essential Information

Opening Hours

Day bathing 8:00 AM – 6:00 PM

Closed: Closed from November to late April

Entrance Fee

¥600 adults | ¥300 elementary school children and younger for day bathing

Best Season

Late April–October | Autumn colour in late September at this altitude

Visit Duration

90 minutes | Overnight for the cloud sea

Getting There

Access Information

Matsuo-Yoriki Kita-no-Mata, Hachimantai, at 1,400 m on the Hachimantai Jukai Line. Car recommended; the approach roads are closed in winter. Open from around late April to the end of October, closed from November until late April. Day bathing 8:00 AM – 6:00 PM, ¥600 for adults and ¥300 for elementary school children and younger. There are several terraced open-air baths including a mixed one, plus separate indoor baths and a women-only open-air bath. Simple sulphur spring.

Insider Guide

Premium

**The water rises through the bath floor.** Not piped in — it comes up through the gravel underfoot. That is why the pools are shallow and why they are where they are. **Half the year it is shut.** Late April to the end of October. Outside that the road is under snow and the inn is closed entirely. **Stay for the morning cloud sea.** Sunrise above the cloud layer with Iwate standing out of it is the reason for booking a night, and day bathers never see it. **There is a mixed bath.** Along with separate indoor baths and a women-only open-air pool. Deciding in advance is easier than at the changing room. **It is 1,400 metres up.** Cold even in August once you are out of the water, and the drive is a mountain road. Layers and a full tank.

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