Dake Onsen Yama no Hotel

Yama no Hotel was a hot spring inn that stood in the Dake Onsen hamlet at roughly 450 meters elevation on the southern foot of Mount Iwaki, the peak known as Tsugaru-Fuji, in Hirosaki City, Aomori Prefecture. Dake Onsen is said to have been opened in the Genroku era (1680s) as a curative bathing ground linked to the Tsugaru clan, and Yama no Hotel served for generations as one of its inns, favored by hikers and long-stay bathers alike. The inn permanently closed on August 20, 2023.

The spring was an acidic, sulfur-bearing calcium-chloride hot spring (a hypotonic, acidic, high-temperature spring) with a strongly acidic pH of 2.03. The source emerged at 48.2 degrees Celsius and was served as free-flowing water with no added cold water, no reheating, and no chlorination, delivering the rich, sulfur-scented bathing feel characteristic of Dake Onsen.

The bathhouses were indoor baths of Aomori hinoki cypress, separated by gender, with one bath reserved for overnight guests and another for day visitors. Day-use bathing cost 550 yen for adults and 350 yen for children, with reception from 11:00 to 15:00 (departure by 16:00). The quiet single inn stood along the mountain slope and offered roughly 50 free parking spaces.