Yamagata Prefecture has the highest number of nationally designated hot-spring health resorts in Japan, with eight such areas, four of which are located in the city of Tsuruoka – the most of any municipality in Japan.
Yunohama Onsen, Atsumi Onsen, Yutagawa Onsen, and Yura Onsen offer relaxing, therapeutic hot-spring retreats. Each has its own distinct character and charm.
What Are National Hot-spring Health Resort Areas?
In order to promote public use of onsen hot springs, these are onsen areas designated by the Minister of the Environment under the Hot Spring Act as having sufficiently effective onsen bathing qualities as well as usage as a healthy resort area. Only onsen hot springs meeting standards for water quality, flow volume, environmental conditions, and the like receive this designation.
National Health Resort Hot SpringsTsuruoka's Onsen Hot Springs: A New Way to Enjoy Healing
Tsuruoka's onsens are distinctive in offering not just therapeutic effects, abundant flow, and pleasant temperatures, but also beautiful scenery of sea, mountains, and countryside, plus delicious local cuisine made from nature's bounty. Nearby are many famous sights rich in natural scenery and having history and culture to enjoy sightseeing along with the onsens.
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Excellent water quality
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The bounties of the sea, mountains, and countryside
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Sightseeing opportunities
The New Way to Enjoy Onsen Healing
Onsen areas offer not just with hot-spring bathing, but diverse charms that include nature, history, culture, cuisine, and more. The "new way to enjoy onsen healing" is about savoring all the appeal the area has to offer beyond just soaking. Come and experience this new way to enjoy hot-spring destinations in Tsuruoka.
The Tsuruoka Way: "Pilgrimage, Soak, and Savor"
The "journey to rebirth" pilgrimages to the three sacred Dewa Sanzan peaks of Gassan, Haguro, and Yudono, with a history dating back 1,400 years, flourished among commoners as the "Dewa Sanzan pilgrimage" in the Edo period. Pilgrims would eat shojin ryori mountain-vegetable cuisine before entering the mountains. After descending, they soaked in Sanzan onsens and enjoyed local sake, seasonal foods, and seafood in the "shojin otoshi" ritual of returning to secular life. This time-honored Tsuruoka tradition of "pilgrimage, soak, and savor" nurtured by history lives on today – encountering Shinto and Buddhist deities, giving thanks for nature's bounty, and savoring them is Tsuruoka's unique style of journey enjoyment.
Visit Tsuruoka's Four Onsens!
Here's a look at Yunohama Onsen, Atsumi Onsen, Yutagawa Onsen, and Yura Onsen, along with accommodations, the four hot springs that are the pride of Tsuruoka and are designated as National Hot-spring Health Resort Areas.
Yunohama Onsen
Established 1,000 years ago. The open-air rotemburo bath overlooking a vast sandy beach and the setting sun sinking into the Sea of Japan are unique charms of this beachside onsen resort.
More info on Yunohama OnsenAccess
- Approximately 10 minutes from Shonai Airport IC on the Nihonkai Tohoku Expressway
- Approximately 40 minutes from JR Tsuruoka Station by bus bound for "Yunohama Onsen"
Recommended Nearby Spots
Atsumi Onsen
Established 1,000 years ago. A quaint onsen resort with a gentle atmosphere where the soft hot-spring water and the sound of a clear stream are soothing. The onsen town is also enjoyable for interactions with locals at morning markets and public baths.
More info on Atsumi OnsenAccess
- Approximately 5 minutes from Atsumi Onsen IC on the Nihonkai Tohoku Expressway
- Approximately 70 minutes from JR Tsuruoka Station by bus bound for "Atsumi Onsen"
Recommended Nearby Spots
Yutagawa Onsen
Established 1,300 years ago. Known as the "Tsuruoka's place of quiet retreat," this is a placid onsen village surrounded by groves of bamboo and plum. The springtime moso bamboo is a famous attraction.
Read moreAccess
- Approximately 10 minutes from Tsuruoka West IC on the Nihonkai Tohoku Expressway
- Approximately 30 minutes from JR Tsuruoka Station by bus bound for "Yutagawa Onsen"
Recommended Nearby Spots
Yura Onsen
Selected as one of Japan's top 100 beaches and one of Japan's top 100 excellent swimming beaches, Yura Beach boasts beautiful scenery and the legendary story of Yaotome. Fresh local seafood dishes made using catch from Yura Fishing Port are exquisite.
More info on Yura OnsenAccess
- Approximately 30 minutes from JR Tsuruoka Station via National Route 7
- Approximately 50 minutes from JR Tsuruoka Station by bus bound for "Atsumi Onsen," followed by about 10 minutes' walking
Recommended Nearby Spots
