Towada-Oyu Onsen Okabesou

Okabesou is a wooden Japanese-style inn standing on the bank of the Oyu River in Towada-Oyu Onsen, Kazuno City, Akita Prefecture, just south of Lake Towada. Oyu Onsen is said to have been discovered in the Kamakura period, and the surrounding district is also home to the Oyu Stone Circles, a Special National Historic Site of the Jomon era. The inn was founded in 1955 and belongs to the Japan Association of Secluded Hot Spring Inns.

The water is a sodium chloride spring drawn from five privately owned sources within the grounds, together yielding roughly 150 liters per minute. Source temperatures vary from about 40C to 67C, and the inn blends its cooler and hotter sources at the spouts to reach bathing temperature, an unusual arrangement. The water is clear with a faint sulfur scent and is served at 100 percent free-flowing quality, with no added water, no reheating and no recirculation. It has long been valued for cuts, burns and skin complaints.

There are five baths in total, two indoor and three open-air. They include the stone-built Taisho Bath, which preserves the atmosphere of the Taisho era, a riverside open-air bath overlooking the Oyu River, a garden open-air bath alternated between men and women, and a private open-air bath available for a fee by reservation. The inn has 15 guest rooms, with rates from 13,750 to 25,850 yen per person per night including two meals. Bathing-only day visits are currently suspended, and day use is possible through a reserved kaiseki lunch plan from 5,500 yen.