Akakura Onsen Midoriya Ryokan

Midoriya Ryokan is a small inn in the Akakura Onsen area of Mogami Town, Yamagata Prefecture, facing the clear Oguni River. Akakura Onsen is an old spring said to have been discovered in 863 by the monk Jikaku Daishi Ennin, and the inn takes guests in only two rooms per day.

The water comes from the inn's own Midoriya No. 2 source behind the building. It is a sodium-calcium sulfate spring (a gypsum-Glauber's salt type) with a source temperature of 56.6 degrees Celsius. It is 100 percent natural spring water served as kakenagashi, and is said to help with minor cuts, poor circulation, sensitivity to cold and dry skin.

There are two indoor rock baths, one large and one small, both used on a private basis. Day-trip bathing runs from 10:00 to 16:00 for 600 yen per adult (towel rental 200 yen), limited to two groups a day, so calling ahead is advisable. Parking is free, and the inn is about a 5-minute drive from JR Akakura-Onsen Station.