Okuokuhachikuro Onsen

September 15, 2024 It had been two years since my last visit, and I was surprised to see how winding the road was. As soon as I entered the dirt road, there were bumps about 20-30 cm high, and since I was driving a regular car, the bottom scraped constantly. It felt like the 3 km of dirt road would go on forever. But after being utterly exhausted, a wonderful view and hot springs awaited me. The brownish water had a slight oily smell, and the temperature was just right. I was getting a little more used to the downhill dirt roads, and when going uphill, I found that turning diagonally in the direction of travel reduced the damage. I was relieved. Points to Note: * Beware of bears * A permit is required to enter the national forest * The winding road leading here is extremely rough, with many bumps and uneven surfaces; it's impossible for cars with low ground clearance. * No cell phone reception If using Google Maps on your smartphone, if you enter from the Akita Prefecture side, the navigation will work all the way, but if you enter from the Aomori Prefecture side, the navigation will disappear midway, causing difficulties. June 4, 2022 We finally made it to a genuine, free-flowing hot spring. Calcium, sodium, chloride, bicarbonate, sulfate spring; water temperature 44℃ The water is brown with an iron smell. Because the outside temperature was low, the water temperature was just right when we soaked in the bath. It takes about 2km to reach the hot spring by driving along a rough road, but there is parking space (for two cars) right next to the hot spring. There are warning signs and ropes regarding entry into the national forest, but they read as "enter at your own risk." The real reason is probably that you should obtain permission to enter the forest before coming this far. The bath is about knee-deep at the edge, but it gets suddenly deeper a little further in. The edge is made of smooth stones, and the bottom is sandy. Because it was rainy, besides our group, there were only two other couples who were hot spring enthusiasts. You'll need a swimsuit, so you should make arrangements to change into one. Even so, it was a really great bath.

I stopped by here while traveling, staying at hot spring inns such as Namari Onsen, Oyu Onsen, Furutobe Onsen, and Naruko Onsen. It was spring 2010, and it was still chilly with a little snow remaining. I was able to park my car nearby, so I was grateful to be able to take off my clothes and jump right into the bath, even if I got goosebumps. There were about three baths, large and small, with different temperatures, and one of them had an incredible amount of water and carbon dioxide. It had the second-highest carbon dioxide level, second only to the open-air bath on the banks of the Agagawa River at Oshio Onsen "Tatsumi-so" (Fukushima Prefecture). While this hot spring appears to be natural, it was originally the remains of drilling used for resource exploration. Unfortunately, the desired mineral deposit was not found, and instead, a worthless hot spring emerged, so it has been left abandoned to this day. Therefore, strictly speaking, it is not a naturally occurring hot spring but an artificially excavated hot spring, but there is no doubt that it is an incredibly charming hot spring, full of rustic charm, just as good as a natural hot spring. Someone had at some point provided wooden slats and seats, so you can leave your clothes there without them getting dirty or wet. However, as it is completely open-air, on rainy days you will have to undress in your car, which can be quite uncomfortable. Also, it seems best to avoid going between June and September, when horseflies are active, as you may get bitten. Looking at recent photos, it appears that ropes have been strung around the hot spring, and the slats and seats have been removed, making it impossible to park your car next to it, and even bathing is now prohibited. If this is true, it is very unfortunate...

I visited around 7:00 AM on November 11, 2023. It was the first snowfall of the season, and as the snow flurries around, I thoroughly enjoyed Okuoku Hachikuro Onsen. The temperature was 42.8°C, as you can see in the photo. The artesian side was 43.6°C, a comfortable temperature on both sides. The outside temperature was 2-3°C. The autumn foliage season was coming to an end, and it was a tricky time before winter really set in. The weather forecast for the day was rain and snow. I was worried about getting there due to road closures and road conditions, but it turned out to be surprisingly easy. I visited after reading numerous reviews on Google Maps and YouTube. I was incredibly impressed, just as everyone had said. The temperature, spring quality, the lightly falling snow on a slightly sunny day, and the alternating bathing with my feet in the river made for a long soak. The river water was so cold that it hurt after about 15 seconds, but I personally felt it.

This hot spring is further in the back of Okuhachkuro hotspring. This hot spring suddenly appears beside the forest road. In the stone pave of lime which changed color to brown, this hot spring springs from a whirp and a bubble. There is nothing other than the wood deck and the basin from volunteers. There is nothing surrounded by mountains and blue sky on top. I think that there are very few natural hot springs. And it is free. I immediately got naked, and I tried to enter a dent which seems to be a bathtub. The depth is moderate, the irritation of the bubbling carbonated spring is really comfortable. I loved the autumn leaves of the mountain ridge line illuminated by the setting sun and spent a blissful time. I wanted to stay here all night if possible. If you like hot springs it is one of the hot springs you should go. This is the real secret hot spring.

"900km on the local roads" To put it mildly, this is the best natural hot spring. First visit during Golden Week 2023. My iPhone's Google Maps navigation system cut off just before I got to Oku-Hachiro Onsen. I was worried about what to do, but when I opened my au account, it still showed up, so I managed to get there. By the way, I told my family, who had arrived earlier with a Hachinohe license plate, that it took them two days to get there on the local roads, 900km from home. They seemed to be amused, which was a blessing (lol). But it's truly amazing that hot spring water at a comfortable temperature of 44°C can bubble up from the ground, even though it's natural. The water seems to have iron rust and maybe salt. By the way, there were no horseflies during Golden Week.