Akiu Onsen
About This Destination
Akiu Onsen is Sendai's own hot spring town, strung along the Natori River valley about 30 minutes by car or 50 minutes by bus from Sendai Station. Its history goes back further than most: the local ryokan association says the 6th-century Emperor Kinmei was cured of a skin complaint with water carried from Akiu, after which it was called the Natori no Miyu, and it counts Akiu among Japan's three imperial hot springs, with Bessho and Nozawa. Date Masamune came here to bathe, and the Sakan inn served as the Sendai lords' bathhouse. The water is a weak salt spring, 45°C at the source. Akiu is a town of ryokan rather than a single resort: the association has 14 members, from large hotels with big indoor and open-air baths to small inns with rooms that have their own bath. Start at the Akiu Sato Center by the main bus stop, which has the tourist information desk, local crafts and free rental bicycles (¥1,000 deposit). A path from it leads straight into Rairaikyo, a short gorge of carved rock named in 1931 by Komiya Toyotaka, a student of Natsume Soseki; people look for the heart-shaped hollow in the rock. The same bus line continues up the valley to the Akiu Great Falls.
Location
Prefecture: Miyagi
Address: Sendai, Miyagi, Japan
Nearest Station: Sendai Station
Best time to visit: Autumn for foliage at Rairai Gorge and Akiu Great Falls; a relaxing hot spring retreat year-round
Visitor Information
Payment: Unknown
Access
Miyagi, Japan
Get DirectionsFrequently Asked Questions
Which ryokan and hotels are in Akiu Onsen?
The Sendai Akiu Onsen ryokan association lists 14 members, among them Sakan, Hotel New Mitoya, Ryokusuitei, Akiu Grand Hotel, Akiu Resort Hotel Crescent, Rantei, Kai Akiu, Hotel Zuiho, Saryo Soen and Geihinkan Sakura Rikyu. Satoya Ryokan has been renamed Soraichi. The association's site (akiuonsenkumiai.com) links to each one for booking.
How do I get to Akiu Onsen from Sendai Station?
Take the Miyagi Kotsu Akiu line bus from stop 8 in front of Sendai Station to Akiu Onsen Yumoto or Akiu Sato Center: about 50 minutes, ¥940. From 19 September 2026 to 28 March 2027 there are extra buses. On weekends and holidays the Miyako one-day pass (¥1,200) covers the trip there and back. By car it is about 30 minutes from the station on Route 48 and prefectural road 132.
How do I get from Akiu Onsen to Akiu Great Falls?
Stay on the same Miyagi Kotsu Akiu line bus to the Akiu Otaki stop. From Akiu Onsen Yumoto or Akiu Sato Center the fare is ¥750; from Sendai Station it is ¥1,230. Check the return times before you go, as buses to the falls are fewer than to the onsen.
Is there an accommodation tax in Akiu?
Yes. Since 13 January 2026, Miyagi Prefecture and Sendai charge ¥300 per person per night when the room rate, without meals and before tax, is ¥6,000 or more. Akiu is in Sendai, so it applies there.
Where to stay
- TAOYA Akiu Hotel · TAOYA秋保 · 137m
- Soraichi Hotel · 心和む名湯の宿 曽良一 · 218m
- Hotel New Mitoya Hotel · ホテルニュー水戸屋 · 225m
- Hotel New Mitoya Annex Hotel · ホテルニュー水戸屋アネックス · 228m
- Sakan Hotel · 伝承千年の宿 佐勘 · 289m
- Saryo Souen Hotel · 茶寮 宗園 · 354m
- Akiu Fuga Hotel · 秋保風雅 · 494m
- KYOU Bar Lounge & Inn Hotel · 586m
- Rantei Hotel · 奥州秋保温泉 蘭亭 · 607m
- Akiu Resort Hotel Crescent Hotel · 秋保リゾートホテル クレセント · 795m
Hotel data: © OpenStreetMap contributors
Nearby Golf Courses
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