[Access] About 50 minutes by car from Isezaki IC
[Webpage] Akagi Onsen Hana-no-yado Yunosawa-kan
I’ve been willing to enjoy Akagi Onsen’s nigori-yu. However there’s my favorite Nashiki Onsen nearby, hence when I make a trip to this area, it’s always been my choice. So today, after climbing Mt. Akagi, I decided to stop by Akagi Onsen for a day-trip onsen. The open-air bath at Yunosawa-kan was filled with greenish-brown opaque hot spring, and I spent a pleasant time switching between hot and lukewarm onsen while looking at beautiful autumn leaves.
From Mt. Akagi, I took a prefectural road called the Ogo-Akagi line to get to Akagi Onsen, but this road was quite difficult to follow, as it was narrow and had a series of hairpin turns in a very short span. Akagi Onsen is located at the end of this tough drive.
The open-air bath at Yunosawa-kan has two bathtubs: the one facing the river (which is a little waterfall) is a lukewarm onsen where I can relax, and the one at the back is a hot one. As you can see in the picture, the onsen is greenish-brown, and the spout is covered with brownish precipitation. The onsen is a calcium-magnesium-sodium bicarbonate hot spring with a total content of 3150 mg/kg, which is quite rich. When I rub my hand over my arm skin, it feels as if it is creaking to my skin. The temperature of the source is 43 degrees Celsius, so the temperature of the lukewarm water is probably lowered by adding water, but it is also the perfect temperature to relax. I’ve been told that day-trip onsen shoud be within an hour, but I’d like to relax more :).
Today, I climbed Mt.Akagi from the Kurobi-san trailhead nearby Onuma. After a sudden steep climb from the trailhead, I could see Onuma and Akagi Shrine behind me, and reached the summit of Mt.Kurobi in about 70 minutes. The view at the summit was not very good, but a little further north, the view opened up and I could see the mountains of Nikko, Mt.Haruna and beautiful autumn leaves. After that, I headed south along the ridge to the summit of Akagi Komagatake, and then to the Komagatake trailhead to finish the climb. I was lucky to be here just in time to see the autumn leaves.
From the Komagatake trailhead, I circled around Kakuman-buchi, which is known as little Oze. The contrast between the blue sky and the golden red of the wetland plants was very beautiful.