Zao Onsen

Zao Onsen was discovered 1,900 years ago by Kibi Tagayoshi, who served in the Japanese army during the Japanese military expedition to the east. In the Edo period (1603-1867), Zao Onsen became a popular western trailhead to Zao Gongen, and it was already a comprehensive resort. In the Taisho era (1912-1926), a road connecting the villages at the foot of the mountain to the hot springs was opened, and various facilities such as streetlights and a police station were installed, thus establishing a foothold as a tourist destination. In the Showa Period (1926-1989), ski resorts were opened, ropeways were installed, and sightseeing roads were opened, further establishing Zao as a tourist destination. In parallel with these developments, hotels, pensions, and guest houses opened one after another, in addition to the traditional ryokan inns. Zao has developed into one of the largest comprehensive mountain resorts in the Tohoku region.

It is one of the three highest hot springs in Ou and the base of the Zao Onsen ski resort. The large open-air bath built at the far end of the Zao hot spring resort is a staircase-style bath consisting of four tiers, all of which together cover an area of 100 tatami mats. The two upstream tiers are for women and the two downstream tiers are for men. The baths are open from 6:00 to 19:00 (6:00 to 22:00 in the public bathhouse) and closed during the winter months of December through April (the public bathhouse is open all year round). Spring quality: Acidic, sulfur-containing, aluminum-sulfate-chloride hot spring (acidic spring). Source temperature: 45-66 degrees Celsius.