Miyagi Onsen Guide

9 of Japan's 11 spring types in one town

日本11泉質のうち9種類が湧く、まさに温泉のデパート

Naruko is one of the most pharmacologically varied onsen towns in Japan — nine of the country's eleven official spring types, from sulfur to carbonate to the famous skin-smoothing "unagi-yu," well up within walking distance, earning it the nickname "the department store of hot springs." Its name comes from a celebrated legend: as the fugitive warrior Yoshitsune fled north, his newborn son would not cry until he was bathed in this water, and the "crying child" (naki-ko) gave the town its name. Naruko is also a homeland of the wooden kokeshi doll, and in late October the nearby Naruko Gorge stages one of Tohoku's most dazzling foliage displays.

鳴子温泉郷は、日本でも指折りの泉質の宝庫——硫黄泉、炭酸水素塩泉、肌がつるりとする名物「うなぎ湯」まで、日本の11泉質のうち9種類が徒歩圏に湧き、「温泉のデパート」と呼ばれます。地名は名高い伝説に由来し、奥州へ落ち延びる源義経の生まれたばかりの子が、この湯を産湯にして初めて泣いたことから「啼子（なきこ）」、やがて「鳴子」になったと伝わります。木地玩具「鳴子こけし」の本場でもあり、10月下旬の鳴子峡は東北屈指の紅葉の名所として知られます。

• ♨9 official spring types — virtually unmatched in Japan日本でも稀な9種類の泉質が一カ所に
• ♨Naruko Gorge foliage in late October10月下旬の鳴子峡紅葉は東北屈指
• ♨Birthplace of the iconic Naruko Kokeshi doll伝統工芸「鳴子こけし」の本場

Hours and prices vary — always confirm on the official site before visiting.
営業時間・料金は変動するため、必ず公式サイトでご確認ください。

Sendai's 1500-year backyard onsen

仙台の奥座敷、1500年の歴史を持つ古湯

Just 30 minutes from central Sendai, Akiu is one of Japan's three ancient "Imperial Onsen" (San Goyu), known historically as the "Natori Goyu" — legend tells that its water cured the skin ailment of Emperor Kinmei some 1,500 years ago, after which it was sent to the imperial court. The town strings along a valley where the Rairai Gorge cuts dramatic green pools through the rock, and a short way upstream the 55-metre Akiu Otaki, one of the great waterfalls of Japan, plunges into the forest. Classical onsen elegance with all of Sendai's food and sights within easy reach makes it the prefecture's most popular base.

仙台中心部から30分の秋保温泉は、古来の「日本三御湯」のひとつで、「名取の御湯」として知られます。約1500年前、欽明天皇の皮膚の病がこの湯で癒え、以後は朝廷へ献上されたと伝わる名湯です。町は渓谷沿いに延び、磊々峡（らいらいきょう）が岩を削って翠の淵を刻み、少し上流には森へ落ちる落差55mの秋保大滝——日本有数の名瀑——がかかります。古湯らしい品格と、仙台の食や観光がすぐ手の届く便利さを兼ね、県内で最も人気の拠点です。

• ♨One of Japan's "Three Royal Onsen" — once for emperors「日本三御湯」のひとつ、皇室にも献上された名湯
• ♨30 min from Sendai — easy with shinkansen day-trippers仙台から30分、新幹線旅行と相性◎
• ♨Akiu Otaki waterfall + Rairai Gorge nearby秋保大滝・磊々峡の絶景も

Hours and prices vary — always confirm on the official site before visiting.
営業時間・料金は変動するため、必ず公式サイトでご確認ください。

Riverside onsen + Nikka whisky distillery

広瀬川渓谷の湯、ニッカウヰスキー宮城峡蒸溜所も

Sakunami lies along the upper Hirose River, 40 minutes west of Sendai by JR, famous for deep "standing baths" cut straight into the riverside rock so that you soak chest-deep right on the source. A few minutes down the valley is the Nikka Whisky Miyagikyo Distillery, opened in 1969 after founder Masataka Taketsuru tasted the water of the local Nikkawa river and decided on the spot to build here. A morning of whisky tours and tasting followed by an afternoon in a rock-cut bath makes one of Tohoku's most pleasant grown-up day-trips — and no rental car is needed.

広瀬川上流、仙台駅からJRで約40分の作並温泉。岩盤を削った天然岩風呂や、川沿いの露天風呂が名物。近くには「ニッカウヰスキー宮城峡蒸溜所」があり、温泉+ウイスキー見学の組合せが大人の旅にぴったり。

• ♨Natural rock-cut riverside baths岩盤を削った天然の渓流露天が名物
• ♨40 min from Sendai by JR — no rental car neededJR作並駅から旅館送迎あり、車不要
• ♨Pair with Nikka Whisky Miyagikyo Distillery tourニッカウヰスキー宮城峡蒸溜所が近く

Hours and prices vary — always confirm on the official site before visiting.
営業時間・料金は変動するため、必ず公式サイトでご確認ください。

Kokeshi doll heartland at the foot of Mt. Zao

蔵王連峰の麓、こけしの本場

Togatta sits at the eastern foot of the Zao mountains and is widely regarded as the very cradle of the kokeshi doll — the "Togatta school" is the oldest documented style, and many believe the simple wooden doll itself was born here when local woodturners began making toys for village children in the early 1800s. The little hot-spring town wears its heritage proudly, with kokeshi-themed bridges and a craft museum, and a community bathhouse, the "Kami-no-Yu," at its centre. Up the toll road in summer, Mt. Zao's startling emerald crater lake, the "Okama," is half an hour away.

遠刈田温泉は蔵王連峰の東麓にあり、こけし発祥の地ともいわれます。「遠刈田系」は史実で確認できる最も古い系統で、19世紀初め、木地師が村の子どものために玩具を作り始め、こけしそのものがここで生まれたとも考えられています。小さな温泉街はその伝統を誇らしげにまとい、こけしモチーフの橋やこけし館、中心には共同浴場「神の湯」があります。夏には有料道路を上って30分、蔵王の鮮やかなエメラルドの火口湖「御釜（おかま）」へ。

• ♨Birthplace of Togatta Kokeshi style伝統こけし11系統「遠刈田系」発祥地
• ♨Gateway to Mt. Zao "Okama" crater lake蔵王の「御釜」火口湖まで車30分
• ♨Walkable hot spring town with kokeshi-themed bridgesこけし橋など街歩きが楽しい温泉街

Hours and prices vary — always confirm on the official site before visiting.
営業時間・料金は変動するため、必ず公式サイトでご確認ください。

The "medicinal waters" beloved for 600 years

600年の歴史、「奥羽の薬湯」と称される名湯

Founded in 1428, Kamasaki takes its curious name — "sickle tip" — from the tale of a villager who saw steam rising from a rock, prodded it with the tip of his sickle, and released the spring. Long valued as the "medicinal waters of Oushu (Tohoku)," it was prized for healing cuts ("for a wound, Kamasaki," the old saying goes). Just a handful of historic ryokan — one a Registered Tangible Cultural Property of dark timber rising several storeys — stand quietly in a forested valley about an hour from Sendai, a perfect retreat for travelers who want old-fashioned cure-town calm well away from the crowds.

鎌先温泉は1428年（室町期）の開湯。その風変わりな名は、村人が岩角から立ちのぼる湯気を見つけ、手にした鎌の先で突いたところ湯が噴き出した、という由来から。古くから「奥羽の薬湯」と呼ばれ、切り傷に効くと評判で「傷に鎌先」とも言われました。森の渓谷に老舗旅館が数軒だけ静かに佇み、うち一軒は黒い木造の多層建築で登録有形文化財。仙台から約1時間、人混みを離れて昔ながらの湯治場の静けさを味わいたい旅人にうってつけの隠れ里です。

• ♨600 years as Tohoku's "medicinal waters"600年続く「奥羽の薬湯」
• ♨Showa-era ryokan buildings preserved昭和の木造建築が残る老舗旅館
• ♨Quiet rural setting — escape from tourist crowds観光地離れた静かな山あいの隠れ里

Hours and prices vary — always confirm on the official site before visiting.
営業時間・料金は変動するため、必ず公式サイトでご確認ください。