Akayu Onsen’s Three Public Baths: Yukotto, Motoyu and Eboshi no Yu
Compare Akayu’s three public baths by price, facilities and access: accessible Yukotto, central Motoyu and the recently reopened Eboshi no Yu.
Checked: September 27, 2026
Akayu is a working town as much as a hot-spring destination. Its public baths sit among homes, shops and wineries, so a visit can be as simple as stopping for a soak between lunch and a walk around town. There are three current options: Yukotto, Akayu Motoyu and Eboshi no Yu. The old Azuma-yu and Towano-yu are no longer separate baths; Yukotto took over their role.
| Bath | Adult single admission | Best reason to choose it |
|---|---|---|
| Yukotto | ¥300 | Clear facilities, hot and warm pools, a semi-open-air bath and an accessible private bath |
| Akayu Motoyu | ¥240 | A central, traditional communal bath with more than one spring supply |
| Eboshi no Yu | ¥120 | The lowest price and a simple neighbourhood-bath setup |
Yukotto: easiest for a first visit
Yukotto is open 6 am–10 pm, with last admission 30 minutes before closing. It closes on Tuesdays; when Tuesday is a public holiday, the closing day moves to Thursday. The facility is about 2 km from JR Akayu Station, roughly a 10-minute drive or a 25-minute walk, and has parking for 60 cars.
Inside are hot and warm pools, a semi-open-air bath and a place to rest. Its published spring temperature is 60.4°C, but that is the source reading, not the temperature of every pool. The operator describes the public and accessible baths as source-fed and flowing through rather than recirculated.
The accessible private bath is designed for people who have difficulty using the regular bath and their companions; eligibility applies, and advance booking is required. The listed adult rate is ¥600 for up to 60 minutes or ¥800 for up to 80 minutes. Children have separate rates, and assistants and children under three are listed as free. This is not a general private-bath option for any group: check the facility’s criteria before reserving.
Motoyu and Eboshi no Yu keep things simple
| Bath | Single entry | Published hours or status | What to expect |
|---|---|---|---|
| Motoyu | ¥240 | 2026 festival listing: 8 a.m.–9:30 p.m., cleaning break 2–3 p.m. | Traditional communal bath with multiple spring supplies; current source-to-tub mapping is not published consistently |
| Eboshi no Yu | ¥120 | Repairs completed June 1, 2026 | Restored older bath with fewer amenities than Yukotto; its individual spring has no published current temperature or full analysis |
| Yukotto | ¥300 | Check the operator’s current hours | Semi-open-air bath; shampoo and body soap are not provided |
The Motoyu hours above come from festival information and may not describe every ordinary day. Older pages showing ¥200 for Motoyu are outdated; ¥100 for Eboshi no Yu is the ten-entry-pass equivalent, not its single-visit fare. Eboshi reopened after repairs in spring 2026; the restoration was completed on June 1.
Neither Motoyu nor Eboshi no Yu should be treated like a hotel day spa. Bring your own towel and washing items unless you have checked current facilities in advance. Their hours and cleaning breaks can vary, so use local notices for the day you plan to go rather than relying on an old timetable.
Yukotto’s ¥300 ticket includes the semi-open-air bath, but it is not a large mountain-view rotenburo. The bath is also the one of the three that explicitly says shampoo and body soap are not provided. If you are visiting Akayu’s wineries, bathe before tasting: Yukotto’s own guidance warns against bathing after drinking. In April, Eboshiyama Park above the hot-spring district makes a natural walk-and-bath pairing; the route back toward Motoyu or Eboshi is more direct than detouring out to Yukotto.
If the price is the main consideration, Eboshi no Yu is an easy call. For a first visit, a more accessible layout or a longer opening day, Yukotto is simpler to navigate. Motoyu makes sense if you are already exploring central Akayu and want the classic public-bath stop.
Sources
- [Yukotto: admission, hours and accessible bath](https://yukotto-akayu.com/) - [Akayu Onsen Ryokan Association: current bathing options and local spring overview](https://www.akayu-onsen.com/akayu/about/) - [Nanyo City: public bath rate table](https://www.city.nanyo.yamagata.jp/up/files/giyousei/kouhoukoucyo/siho/pdf/1287.pdf) - [Nanyo City: Eboshi no Yu repair project update](https://www.furusato-tax.jp/gcf/5059) - [Nanyo City Tourism Association: public baths](https://nanyoshi-kanko.jp/hotspring-inn/)Tags: Akayu Onsen, Nanyo, Yamagata public bath, Yukotto, Akayu Motoyu, Eboshi no Yu
