Japan Onsen Atlas温泉アトラス
An open-air hot-spring pool set among rocks on the shore at dusk
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Tohoku · Onsen area

Furofushi Onsen

こがねさきふろうふしおんせん · 黄金崎不老不死温泉

Aomori · 西津軽郡深浦町

Open100 Onsen to Know Japan — No. 12
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Official classification

Spring type (therapeutic classes)

Chloride springIron spring

Official spring-type name (as recorded)Sodium chloride spring (neutral, hypertonic)

Source temperature
49°C
pH
6.2–6.7
Flow rate
400 L/min
Radon
Unconfirmed

Appearance & feel

Water colour · Feel

Brown

Colour and feel are listed only where a source states them. They vary by day and by bath.

What makes it special

A rust-brown pool cut into the rocks at the very edge of the Sea of Japan, with nothing between you and the sunset.
Why?

The inn's own site describes a bath at the water's edge with rust-brown water, a spot chosen among Japan's 100 best sunsets; the seaside bath is said to be open from sunrise to sunset.[1][2]

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) · Open

Koganezaki Furofushi Onsen (inn)

Day-use bathing
Yes
Fee
¥1,000checked 2026-10-09
Hours
本館内風呂 9:00–19:00(最終受付18:30、繁忙期8:00–20:00)/新館内風呂 10:30–14:00(最終受付13:30)/海辺の露天 9:00–16:00(最終受付15:30)checked 2026-10-09
Official site
Baths4
TypeGenderSourceBath temperatureFree-flowingAdded waterHeatedRecirculatedDisinfected
Open-air bathMixedFurofushi sourceUnconfirmedYes[1][2]Unconfirmed[1][2]Unconfirmed[1][2]Unconfirmed[1][2]Unconfirmed[1][2]
Open-air bathWomen onlyFurofushi sourceUnconfirmedYes[1][2]Unconfirmed[1][2]Unconfirmed[1][2]Unconfirmed[1][2]Unconfirmed[1][2]
Indoor bathSeparateFurofushi sourceUnconfirmedYes[1]Unconfirmed[1]Unconfirmed[1]Unconfirmed[1]Unconfirmed[1]
Indoor bathSeparateFurofushi sourceUnconfirmedYes[1]Unconfirmed[1]Unconfirmed[1]Unconfirmed[1]Unconfirmed[1]

Getting there

Reachable by public transport

From WeSPa Tsubakiyama Station on the JR Gono Line, the inn's shuttle takes about 5 minutes (no booking needed if you arrive on the Resort Shirakami; book ahead for local trains). Henashi Station is a 15-minute walk. By car it is about 2.5 hours from either Aomori or Akita city. From December to March a free bus runs for guests from Shin-Aomori Station on selected days, booked three days ahead.

Getting there
WeSPa Tsubakiyama Station (JR Gono Line) · 5
Getting there
Shuttles meet the trains; Gono Line services are infrequent
Through the year
Dec–Mar: free bus for guests from Shin-Aomori Station on selected days (departs 13:00, book by phone three days ahead). In winter, when the open-air pools cannot be kept hot, only the mixed pool may be open
Checked
2026-10-09
Show on mapOpen in Google MapsOfficial site

About the water

A strong brine, close to seawater in saltiness. It emerges clear and then oxidises to a deep rust-brown as its iron meets the air. The inn calls it a chloride spring, traditionally nicknamed the water for warmth, wounds and skin, and says it warms you to the core; treat that as tradition, not a medical claim. The source is 49°C, neutral at pH 6.2–6.7, flowing at about 400 litres a minute. The inn says the baths are free-flowing from the source; Wikipedia says cold water is added, so dilution is unconfirmed.

SourceSource temperaturepHRadonChecked
Furofushi source496.2Unconfirmedno check date

Three things not to miss

An open-air hot-spring pool set among rocks on the shore at dusk
Photo information
おにく CC0 View original page
01

The seaside open-air bath

On the rocky shore below the main building A gourd-shaped mixed pool and an oval women-only pool sit among the rocks. There are no showers; you wash in the indoor bath first and simply soak. It closes in high waves or thunderstorms, horseflies appear in summer, and photography is banned.

Few baths in Japan sit this close to the sea. Day visitors can use it 9:00–16:00 (last entry 15:30); the sunset hour is effectively for overnight guests.[1][2]

A brown-water open-air pool on a rocky shore beside the sea
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Hitachi-Train (talk) CC BY-SA 3.0 View original page
02

Water that turns brown before your eyes

All baths The water comes up clear, then the iron in it oxidises on contact with air and turns a deep rust-brown. It is strongly salty on the tongue.

There is no clearer demonstration of how an onsen gets its colour from chemistry rather than dye.[2][1]

03

The Gono Line and the Resort Shirakami train

WeSPa Tsubakiyama Station, 5 min by shuttle The scenic Resort Shirakami train runs the coastal Gono Line and stops at WeSPa Tsubakiyama, where the inn's shuttle meets it.

You can reach a sea-edge onsen by rail, watching the same sea the whole way.[3]

The story

A trickle on the shore

Hot water had always seeped weakly from this shore. In 1970 a well was drilled 200 metres down and the water came up under its own pressure, and the lone inn Furofushi Onsen opened. The name plays on furo-fushi, "neither ageing nor dying". Today it remains a single inn; every one of its rooms, from 48 tatami rooms to 17 modern Japanese-style rooms, faces the sea.[2][4]

Iron, salt and air

Underground the water is clear, but its dissolved iron binds with oxygen as soon as it reaches the air, and the pools turn the colour of rust. The salt content is close to seawater. The source is 49°C and neutral at pH 6.2–6.7, yielding about 400 litres a minute. The outdoor pools are dug into the rock a few steps from the breaking waves, and close when the sea is rough or lightning threatens.[2][1]

How a day visit works

Day visitors buy a ticket at the machine (1,000 yen adults, 500 yen children, cash only). The three baths keep different hours: the main-building Kogane-no-yu 9:00–19:00, the new-wing Furofushi-no-yu 10:30–14:00, and the seaside bath 9:00–16:00. There are no showers on the shore, so wash indoors first. Photography is banned outside, bathing wraps can be hired for 400 yen, and the inn states that guests with tattoos cannot use the baths.[1]

Going solo

Easy for solo travellersYes
Weekend / peak restrictionsUnconfirmed
Where to eat dinnerThe inn's restaurant serves the Fukaura tuna steak bowl (also for day visitors); there is almost nothing else nearby
Private bathUnconfirmed

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.

May · Jun · Sep · Oct — Calmer seas; the best odds of an open seaside bath and a clear sunset

Jul · Aug — Horseflies and biting midges appear in summer (official notice)

Dec · Jan · Feb · Mar — The seaside bath often closes in high waves and wind; when it cannot be kept hot only the mixed pool opens. Free guest bus from Shin-Aomori

Food, culture & experiences

Available / bookable

Fukaura tuna steak bowl

Fukaura lands more tuna than anywhere else in Aomori. The town's signature dish is three small bowls of local bluefin: raw, seared one side, seared both sides. Served in the inn's restaurant[1]

In the inn
Available / bookable

Juniko lakes and the Blue Pond

A cluster of ponds in the beech forest of Tsugaru Quasi-National Park, famous for the cobalt Blue Pond. Konan Bus's Juniko route runs from the inn[3]

By local bus from the inn (journey time not confirmed)
Available / bookable

Resort Shirakami sightseeing train

A sightseeing train along the Sea of Japan coast that stops at WeSPa Tsubakiyama, the inn's nearest station[3]

5 min by shuttle from WeSPa Tsubakiyama

Editors' guide

For a day trip, arrive early in the afternoon, wash in the indoor bath and head down to the shore pool. To watch the sunset from the water you have to stay the night, and the single rooms make that easy to plan alone. By rail, ride the Resort Shirakami to WeSPa Tsubakiyama, where the shuttle waits. Many pair it with the Blue Pond at Juniko.

The "editors' guide" above is written by the editors from sources; it is not a visitor's opinion.

Photo gallery

Visitor reviews

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Review posting is in preparation, with visit date, facility, comments on water, scenery and access, photos, language and reporting.

Onsen areas nearby

Unconfirmed & notes

  • Temperature, pH, flow, the 1970 drilling and the pool shapes come from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA); the analysis sheet was not seen
  • Whether cold water is added is unconfirmed (inn: free-flowing from source; Wikipedia: diluted)
  • Room rates and meal plans were not confirmed
  • Sunrise-to-sunset use of the seaside bath by guests is from Wikipedia, not confirmed on the official site

Sources

  1. 日帰り利用 | 黄金崎不老ふ死温泉株式会社黄金崎不老不死温泉 · 2026-10-09
  2. 黄金崎不老不死温泉 - Wikipedia(日本語版)Wikipedia · 2026-10-09
  3. アクセス | 黄金崎不老ふ死温泉株式会社黄金崎不老不死温泉 · 2026-10-09
  4. お部屋 | 黄金崎不老ふ死温泉株式会社黄金崎不老不死温泉 · 2026-10-09

Register sources

Data status

Name & locationPublishedCoordinatesPublishedSpring typePublishedPhotosPublishedFacilitiesPublishedVisiting info (dated)PublishedEditorial articlePublished

Updated 2026-10-09

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