Akayu Onsen, Yamagata Pref. ¨C For more than 930 years, the tranquil town of Akayu Onsen has been a magnet for visitors to Yamagata Prefecture, drawn by the luxury of abundant onsen (hot spring) water in such a readily accessible location. Whereas most onsen in Yamagata are tucked away in remote areas of the surrounding mountains, Akayu lies in the heart of the fertile Okitama basin in the southern part of the prefecture.
In 1878, British adventurer Isabella Bird passed through this region on her pioneering journey on horseback and foot to Hokkaido, describing Okitama in glowing terms as a bountiful ¡°Asiatic Arcadia.¡± However, by her own account, she was not amused by the loud revelry she observed in the town ¡ª least of all the practice of mixed bathing.
Akayu has become a lot more sedate than it was in Bird¡¯s day, though it still boasts more than a dozen onsen ryokan (traditional inns with onsen baths), as well as four public bathhouses. It is also much easier to reach, especially now it has its own dedicated station on the Yamagata Shinkansen.
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