Akakura Yukemurikan: Is This Day-Use Onsen Worth the Detour?
This Mogami bathhouse has an outdoor bath, bookable private bath and free tatami room. Admission is ¥500; the nearest station is 2.9 km away.
Checked: September 27, 2026
Akakura Onsen is a small riverside hot-spring area in Mogami, not a resort town built around souvenir shops. If you want a straightforward soak without booking a room, the municipal Oku no Hosomichi Akakura Yukemurikan is the clearest place to start. Its appeal is practical: reasonable admission, two daily-rotation baths, a bookable family bath and somewhere to sit after bathing.
| Detail | Current information |
|---|---|
| Adult admission | ¥500 |
| Junior high school students | ¥300 |
| Elementary school students | ¥200; younger children free |
| Regular hours | 9:00 am–9:30 pm; last admission 8:30 pm |
| Wednesdays | Closed on the 2nd and 4th; opens at 1:00 pm on the 1st, 3rd and 5th |
| Private bath | ¥1,500 for one hour, up to four people; ask about children and total fees |
| From JR Akakura-Onsen Station | About 2.9 km; roughly 6 minutes by car or a 41-minute walk |
The outdoor bath depends on the day
The regular bathing areas are Basho-no-Yu and Sora-no-Yu. They switch between men and women daily, and they are not identical: Basho-no-Yu has the larger garden-side outdoor bath, while Sora-no-Yu has an indoor bath and a smaller outdoor pool. The facility’s bathing calendar assigns Basho-no-Yu to men on even-numbered dates and women on odd-numbered dates; Sora-no-Yu runs the other way. Check the calendar before travelling if the larger outdoor bath is the reason for your visit.
There is also Toge-no-Yu, a private bath by reservation. The posted charge is ¥1,500 for an hour for up to four people. The public information does not clearly spell out whether regular admission is added, or how children count toward the group, so ask when booking rather than assuming that ¥1,500 is the full party total.
What ¥500 gets you
Admission includes the day’s assigned public bath and use of a large tatami room—about 44 mats—where bathers can rest at no extra charge. There is also a local-produce corner and visitor information. The facility’s official page identifies its supply as the municipal Akakura No. 2 spring, a sodium-calcium sulfate spring with a published source temperature of 74°C. That is the temperature at the source, not the bath itself; the operator does not publish a current temperature for every tub.
Keep the spring description facility-specific. Regional pages sometimes classify Akakura’s water as chloride-and-sulfate, while Yukemurikan lists its No. 2 source as sulfate. Town-wide chemistry is not a substitute for this bath’s source record.
The association identifies the large garden-side bath as flow-through, but does not publish treatment details for every indoor bath, the smaller outdoor pool or the private bath. No current pH or facility flow rate is listed. Ask the association about its hot-spring egg service if you want to cook eggs in the source water.
The town’s fee table took effect on April 1, 2025. Older prefectural listings still show the former adult rate of ¥450; the current municipal rates are:
| Visitor | Admission |
|---|---|
| Adult | ¥500 |
| Child | ¥300 |
| Younger child | ¥200 |
Getting there takes a little planning
JR Akakura-Onsen Station is around 2.9 km away. A 41-minute walk may be manageable in mild weather if you travel light, but it is a poor default in winter, in rain or after a long soak. Arrange a taxi or ride, ask your accommodation about a pickup, or include the bath in a driving itinerary. The station is not just around the corner, and the local rail timetable is limited enough that it is worth planning the return before you set off.
Two baths closed temporarily for pipe repairs in January 2026 and reopened on January 9, according to the local tourism association.
| Day | Bathing hours / status |
|---|---|
| Regular days | Until 9:30 p.m.; last admission 8:30 p.m. |
| 1st, 3rd and 5th Wednesday | Opens at 1 p.m. |
| 2nd and 4th Wednesday | Closed |
Yukemurikan suits drivers, skiers finishing the day at Akakura Onsen Ski Resort, and anyone already travelling along the Mogami corridor. It is less compelling as a long round trip from Yamagata City just to save on admission. The tattoo policy and detailed child rules for the private bath are not clearly published; contact the facility if either affects your plans.
For a different kind of local bath in the same town, compare Semi-no-Yu in Semi Onsen. If you are heading toward Yonezawa, Onogawa’s two public baths are another simple, low-cost stop.
Sources
- [Akakura Yukemurikan: hours, admission and spring details](https://akakurayukemurikan.amebaownd.com/pages/3343610/page_201910301443) - [Akakura Yukemurikan: bathing calendar](https://akakurayukemurikan.amebaownd.com/pages/2106481/biography) - [Mogami Town: facility management ordinance and current fee table](https://town.mogami.lg.jp/data/reiki/reiki_honbun/c423RG00000744.html) - [Mogami Town newsletter: April 2025 public-fee revision](https://town.mogami.lg.jp/data/kouhou-mogami/2025/2/2025-2-all.pdf) - [Mogami tourism association: January 2026 repair and reopening notices](https://mogami-portal.net/)Tags: Akakura Onsen, Mogami, Yamagata day-use onsen, public bath, private onsen
