Asamushi Onsen
licensed photographブルーノ・プラス / CC BY 4.0

Aomori City · AsamushiNo.1276★★Open in map →

Asamushi Onsen

— Aomori City's seaside spa town on Mutsu Bay

onsenOff the trail — and worth it

Aomori City's seaside hot-spring town, one local train from Aomori Station. A free footbath sits beside the station, Yunoshima island rises offshore, and the prefectural aquarium is within walking distance — a spa day that needs no car.

  1. FromAomori Station
  2. ~20–30 minAoimori Railway, no IC cards
  3. Get off atAsamushi-Onsen Station (Aoimori Railway)
  4. On foot
  5. Asamushi Onsen
Directions ↗

The sweet spot

This is a well-known spa town, long nicknamed the Atami of Tohoku, so it is not a hidden find. What foreign itineraries tend to miss is how close it is: one train from Aomori Station with no change, so an afternoon bath fits between sightseeing in the city and dinner.

Where it is

34 more notes in Aomori · open the map →

What to look for — in walking order

Yunoshimaゆ＾ω＾び / CC BY-SA 2.1 jp
  1. Station footbatha free footbath right beside the Asamushi-Onsen station building
  2. Yu-sa Asamushithe roadside station across the footbridge, with local produce, souvenirs and a top-floor bath facing the bay
  3. Yunoshimathe town's emblem out in the bay, its woods carpeted with katakuri lilies in spring
  4. Asamushi Aquariumthe prefectural aquarium, with a dolphin show and a 15 m undersea tunnel tank

How to actually get there

  1. Aomori Station → Asamushi-Onsen Station (Aoimori Railway, about 20–30 min; IC cards not accepted, pay in cash).
  2. Rest your feet in the free footbath beside the station building.
  3. Cross the footbridge to Yu-sa Asamushi for local produce and the view of Yunoshima.
  4. Walk to Asamushi Aquarium (about 10 min from the station), then end in a bath that takes day visitors.
Aoimori Railway from Aomori Station
Aomori Station →(Aoimori Railway, about 20–30 minutes depending on the train)→ Asamushi-Onsen Station. No change of trains is needed. The Aoimori Railway does not accept Suica or other IC cards, so plan to pay with a paper ticket in cash.
Back to Aomori
Ride the Aoimori Railway back toward Aomori from the same station, which has a staffed ticket window and ticket machines. Check the return times on the timetable before you settle into a bath.
Directions from my location (Google Maps) ↗

About the place

Asamushi Onsen is the hot-spring town of Aomori City, set where the Natsudomari Peninsula meets Mutsu Bay. It has inns and guesthouses, and several of its baths take day visitors. About 800 metres off the nearest shore sits Yunoshima, a small wooded island that has become the town's emblem. The prefectural aquarium, with its dolphin show and undersea tunnel, is within walking distance of the station. Beside the station, the roadside station Yu-sa Asamushi gathers local produce and souvenirs under one roof. Together they make a full day out from the city: a train ride, a soak, a sea view.

How to enjoy it

Start with the free footbath beside the station, then cross the footbridge to Yu-sa Asamushi for local produce and a look out to Yunoshima. The aquarium is about 10 minutes on foot from the station and is open every day of the year. In spring, during the katakuri festival, boats carry visitors onto the island. Finish in one of the town's baths that take day visitors before the train back.

Background & history

Asamushi counts more than 1,200 years as a spa. Local tradition credits its discovery to the monk Ennin. Another story says that in 1190 the monk Hōnen saw a wounded deer healing in the hot water and taught the villagers to bathe in it. The name is said to come from asa-mushi, steaming hemp: villagers once used the spring to steam hemp fibre for weaving cloth. In later times the resort earned the nicknames the Atami of Tohoku and Aomori's inner parlour.

Before you go

Cash
The Aoimori Railway fare table lists 540 yen from Aomori to Asamushi-Onsen. IC cards are not accepted, so carry cash for the train. The station footbath is free; the aquarium and the town's baths each charge their own admission.
Before you go
The station footbath is not available at night. The fifth-floor bath at Yu-sa Asamushi was suspended because of an equipment fault when checked, with reopening to be announced by Aomori City, so confirm before counting on it. Boat landings on Yunoshima are tied to the spring katakuri festival, so check the dates each year.
Another way
By car from Aomori Station it is about 30 minutes, mostly along National Route 4. The roadside station's car park is open 24 hours.
After you get off
Asamushi-Onsen Station has a single exit, on the station-building side. The footbath is right beside the building, and the Yuyake-bashi footbridge leads straight across to Yu-sa Asamushi.