Tohoku
岩手県
Official statistics
Ministry of the Environment, FY2024 onsen usage survey (as of 31 March 2025)
In this atlas
Onsen areas in this atlas (excluding districts) as a share of the official count (areas with lodging). Definitions differ, so this is a rough guide.
Iwate has 81 onsen areas and 393 springs (Ministry of the Environment, FY2024). The numbers are modest for Tohoku, but the flow is generous: the Hanamaki onsen district strings inns along a single river valley, while Sukawa and the Hachimantai district gush from volcanic heights. Many baths lie close to Morioka and Hanamaki, making this an easy onsen prefecture to reach by Shinkansen.
In the centre, the Hanamaki district lines the Toyosawa River with Hanamaki, Dai, Osawa, Namari and Shidotaira. Morioka Tsunagi and Oshuku lie just outside Morioka. To the north, Matsukawa and Toshichi in the Hachimantai district sit high on the volcano; to the south, the Ichinoseki district holds Sukawa and Mayu, and Geto hides in the mountains behind Kitakami.
Sulfur and simple springs are about equally common in our records, followed by chloride and sulfate. Matsukawa, Toshichi and Sukawa are milky sulfur baths, and Sukawa is also strongly acidic. In the Hanamaki district, Osawa and Namari are gentle simple springs.
The Hanamaki district is 20–40 minutes by Iwate Kenkotsu bus from Shin-Hanamaki (Shinkansen) or Hanamaki Station, with direct services to Osawa and Hanamaki Onsen. Morioka Tsunagi is about 30 minutes by bus from Morioka Station; Oshuku is served by a shared bus from Shizukuishi. Sukawa has a seasonal bus from Ichinoseki Station, and Kindaichi is about 20 minutes by JR bus from Ninohe.
Osawa keeps a self-catering therapeutic wing where solo guests still stay for weeks; Namari has one too, and both are on the bus route from Hanamaki Station. Sukawa doubles as the trailhead for Mount Kurikoma, suited to solo hikers who want a bath at the end.
Hanamaki is the hometown of poet Kenji Miyazawa, and the inns of its onsen district keep stories of him. Morioka's three noodle dishes (wanko soba, reimen, jajamen), Maesawa beef and Sanriku seafood anchor the food. Morioka Tsunagi makes a base for the Sansa Odori festival, and folk dances such as the Oni-kenbai and deer dance are sometimes performed at inns around Hanamaki and Kitakami. Nambu ironware and Iwayado chests fill the souvenir shelves.
Photo information
大沢温泉
花巻市 · 100 Onsen to Know Japan — No. 17
A mixed open-air bath hanging over the Toyosawa River, and a self-catering wing where a night costs a little over 4,000 yen. The old toji way of life is still intact here.
Photo information
須川温泉
一関市 · 100 Onsen to Know Japan — No. 16
At 1,126 metres on the flank of Mt Kurikoma, 6,000 litres a minute of strongly acidic water pour into Dainichi-yu, an open-air bath big enough for fifty.
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大沢温泉
花巻市 · 100 Onsen to Know Japan — No. 17
A mixed open-air bath hanging over the Toyosawa River, and a self-catering wing where a night costs a little over 4,000 yen. The old toji way of life is still intact here.
Photo information
須川温泉
一関市 · 100 Onsen to Know Japan — No. 16
At 1,126 metres on the flank of Mt Kurikoma, 6,000 litres a minute of strongly acidic water pour into Dainichi-yu, an open-air bath big enough for fifty.
Photo information
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大沢温泉
花巻市 · 100 Onsen to Know Japan — No. 17
A mixed open-air bath hanging over the Toyosawa River, and a self-catering wing where a night costs a little over 4,000 yen. The old toji way of life is still intact here.
Photo information
須川温泉
一関市 · 100 Onsen to Know Japan — No. 16
At 1,126 metres on the flank of Mt Kurikoma, 6,000 litres a minute of strongly acidic water pour into Dainichi-yu, an open-air bath big enough for fifty.
