Ryokan (inn) · Open
Goshogake Onsen (ryokan)
- Day-use bathing
- Yes
- Fee
- ¥800checked 2026-10-09
- Hours
- 日帰り入浴 10:30–14:00受付(15:00終了)。グリーンシーズン2026(4/18〜10/18)checked 2026-10-09
Photo information
Save to passport
Official classification
Spring type (therapeutic classes)
Official spring-type name (as recorded)Simple sulfur spring (hypotonic, mildly acidic, high-temperature); source name Oname-Motome-no-yu
- Source temperature
- 85°C
- pH
- 3.01
- Flow rate
- Unconfirmed
- Radon
- Unconfirmed
Appearance & feel
Water colour · Feel
Milky white
Colour and feel are listed only where a source states them. They vary by day and by bath.
What makes it special
Mud bath, box steam bath, bubbling volcano bath, a natural-steam sauna: seven ways to take the waters under one roof.
Why?
The inn's site lists seven baths in its main bathhouse: the box steam bath, mud bath, volcano bath, steam sauna, waterfall bath, outdoor pool and the main Shinkeitsu-no-yu pool.[1]
Facilities in this area
Facilities come from the register (Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, official sites). Those marked "natural spring unconfirmed" are listed on the basis of their name only.
Ryokan (inn) · Seasonal
Goshogake Onsen toji wing (Suzuran dormitory)
- Day-use bathing
- No
- Fee
- Unconfirmedno check date
- Hours
- Unconfirmedchecked 2026-10-09
Getting there
Reachable by public transport
No bus runs to the inn itself. You combine a local bus with the Dragon-go reserved shuttle (book it yourself on +81 90-2449-2419). Example: the 13:25 Shuhoku bus from Tazawako Station reaches Aspite Iriguchi at 15:07, and Dragon-go brings you to the inn by 15:20 (green season, 18 Apr–18 Oct). From Morioka the sightseeing bus climbs to the Hachimantai summit, then Dragon-go takes 20 minutes. In winter (19 Oct–16 Apr) local buses stop, and the inn runs one free shuttle a day for overnight guests from Kazuno-Hanawa Station (14:35, booking required).
- Getting there
- Tazawako Station (Akita Shinkansen) · 115
- Getting there
- Roughly one workable connection a day each way; services are sparse
- Through the year
- The Aspite Line from Iwate closes for winter in early November and Route 341 from Tazawako in late November; in winter the only approach is from Kazuno-Hachimantai IC. Night closures apply in the shoulder seasons
- Checked
- 2026-10-09
About the water
The source is a mildly acidic simple sulfur spring at 93.4°C and pH 3.01; because it rises naturally, the flow is listed as unknown. Every tub is fed 100% from this one source and flows straight through, with cold water added only to adjust temperature. The main Shinkeitsu-no-yu pool is clouded grey-white by mud and kept hot and concentrated; the volcano bath bubbles from below; in the mud bath you smear the mud on your skin. The posted indications include chronic muscle and joint pain, poor circulation and atopic dermatitis, with fever and sensitive skin among the contraindications.
Indications (as posted on the analysis)
Posted indications: chronic muscle and joint pain or stiffness (rheumatism, osteoarthritis, lumbago, neuralgia, frozen shoulder, bruises, sprains), motor paralysis, poor circulation, digestive complaints, mild hypertension and diabetes, mild asthma or emphysema, autonomic imbalance, stress symptoms, atopic dermatitis, chronic eczema, convalescence, fatigue
Indications are an official statement based on the water analysis, not a guarantee of treatment. They are kept separate from opinions.
| Source | Source temperature | pH | Radon | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oname-Motome-no-yu | 93.4 | 3.01 | Unconfirmed | no check date |
Three things not to miss
Box steam bath and mud bath
Main bathhouse In the box steam bath you sit in a wooden box with only your head out while natural steam warms you. In the mud bath you rub grey mud from a box onto your skin and soak waist-deep for 10–15 minutes. The all-timber bathhouse has taps but no showers.
Both use the volcano's own steam and mud directly, a way of bathing that has almost vanished elsewhere.[1]
Photo information
Goshogake nature trail
Behind the inn, early June to late October A paved loop past what is said to be Japan's largest mud volcanoes, the still-growing Oyunuma pond, the Daifunto steam vent and the Konya-jigoku pool. Ministry rules: stay on the path and never touch the erupting water, mud or steam.
You can walk out and see exactly where the bathhouse's mud and steam come from.[2]
Photo information
Geothermal ondol floors
The Moegi ondol room (ryokan guests) and the Suzuran toji dormitory Goshogake-style ondol rooms are heated from below by volcanic heat and steam fed through wooden ducts, staying above 30°C all year. You lie on a towel in a cotton robe. Ryokan guests get one free session per night; the toji wing has private rooms where you sleep on the warm floor.
Yunohana crystals bloom on the floor and walls; you are literally sleeping on a volcano.[3][4]
The story
Arrive on horseback, walk home in clogs
An old saying goes: come to Goshogake on a horse, leave on wooden clogs. Those too ill to walk arrived on horseback and, after a season in the waters, strode down the mountain in tall geta. The inn traces its history back some 300 years; it stands alone in the middle of Towada-Hachimantai National Park, wrapped in steam from the ground all year round.[1][6]
Oname and Motome
The source is called Oname-Motome-no-yu, after two vents on the nature trail that steam side by side and gave the place its name through a local legend. The ground here is intensely active, with Japan's largest mud volcanoes and the Oyunuma pond that keeps enlarging. The water rises at 93.4°C of its own accord, and the inn has long used both water and steam in several ways: the box steam bath, the steam sauna, and ondol floors heated by steam ducted beneath them.[1][2][3]
The shrinking toji wing
Goshogake has always run two operations: the ryokan and the self-catering toji wing with its rows of rooms where you sleep on heated ondol floors. Falling guest numbers, ageing buildings and a shortage of staff have reduced the toji wing to occasional, limited openings; the Shirakaba dormitory was retired because of its wiring and the shared rooms are gone. The surviving Suzuran dormitory asks for two nights minimum, self-catering and cleaning your own room. In 2026, with major heat-exchange works under way, it opens only in September and November.[4]
Going solo
Hard to stay aloneYes
Weekend / peak restrictionsUnconfirmed
Where to eat dinnerRyokan rates include two meals; the cafe serves lunch 11:30–13:00 in the green season. There are no shops; toji guests bring their own food
Private bathYes
checked 2026-10-09
Through the year
Recommended months
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Months open
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
"Recommended" and "open" are recorded separately. Check the season for seasonal springs.
Jun · Jul · Aug · Sep · Oct — The nature trail is open early June to late October; alpine flowers at Onuma in early summer, autumn colour in October
Nov · Dec · Jan · Feb · Mar · Apr — White season: the only road in is from Kazuno, with a guest shuttle from Kazuno-Hanawa Station. The whole inn is floor-heated by the spring; the outdoor pool may close because of falling snow
Sep · Nov — In 2026 the toji wing opens only in September and November
Food, culture & experiences
Goshogake nature trail
Paved loop past mud volcanoes, Oyunuma pond and the Daifunto vent, early June to late October. Guided tours only when snow lies[2]
Directly behind the innOnuma nature path and Hachimantai Visitor Center
A 30–40 minute loop round Onuma pond and its marsh, with the visitor centre opposite[2]
2–3 min by car from the innBlack eggs
Eggs blackened in the hot spring, sold at the shop; from June 2026 only on weekends and some other days[6]
Inn shopEditors' guide
Day visitors register 10:30–14:00, closed Tuesdays. Work through the seven baths, box steam, mud, the main pool, the outdoor pool, then lunch at the cafe and the nature-trail loop make a good half day. Overnight guests should book the ondol session at the desk on arrival. Using public transport means reserving the Dragon-go shuttle yourself, so plan early.
The "editors' guide" above is written by the editors from sources; it is not a visitor's opinion.
Photo gallery
Visitor reviews
No reviews yet. While the review platform is being prepared, we do not display fictional reviews or ratings.
Review posting is in preparation, with visit date, facility, comments on water, scenery and access, photos, language and reporting.
Overview
後生掛温泉（ごしょうがけおんせん）は、秋田県鹿角市（旧国陸奥国、明治以降は陸中国）にある温泉。 岩手県と秋田県県境の八幡平（火山）山頂から少し西側に位置し、八幡平アスピーテライン沿いにあり、山の中にしては比較的交通の便がよい。
This overview is based on the lead section of the Japanese Wikipedia article "後生掛温泉" (CC BY-SA 4.0). View original page
Unconfirmed & notes
- The 2026 day-use price table is an image we could not read; we used the FAQ figure of 800 yen. Child price unconfirmed
- Ryokan room rates were not confirmed
- The 115-minute journey from Tazawako Station is calculated from the inn's sample itinerary (13:25 to 15:20)
- Whether the water is chlorinated is not posted
Sources
- 温泉 | 【公式】後生掛温泉八幡平後生掛温泉 · 2026-10-09
- 交通・周辺観光 | 【公式】後生掛温泉八幡平後生掛温泉 · 2026-10-09
- オンドル | 【公式】後生掛温泉八幡平後生掛温泉 · 2026-10-09
- お知らせ 湯治部営業案内 | 【公式】後生掛温泉八幡平後生掛温泉 · 2026-10-09
- よくあるご質問 | 【公式】後生掛温泉八幡平後生掛温泉 · 2026-10-09
- お知らせ 公共交通機関アクセス(2026) | 【公式】後生掛温泉八幡平後生掛温泉 · 2026-10-09
- お知らせ 日帰り入浴・CAFE営業のご案内(グリーンシーズン2026) | 【公式】後生掛温泉八幡平後生掛温泉 · 2026-10-09
Register sources
- 後生掛温泉 - Wikipedia(日本語版)Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0 · 2026-10-09
- Wikidata Q11488358Wikidata · CC0 · 2026-10-09
Data status
Name & locationPublishedCoordinatesPublishedSpring typePublishedPhotosPublishedFacilitiesPublishedVisiting info (dated)PublishedEditorial articlePublished
Updated 2026-10-09
Suggest a correction or addition