My annual trip to Japan always includes a visit to an onsen (hot spring). The relaxed feeling after dipping into a Japanese hot spring is indescribable. Since my first onsen experience many years ago, I always leave time in my Japan travel schedule for onsen therapy.
When I told a Japanese friend that I am going to Akita prefecture this year, she suggested I visit Nyuto Onsen village. So I took a shinkansen (bullet train) for an hour from Akita city to Tazawako station and then a fifty minutes bus ride to the mountains to take a dip in one of the famous hot springs there.
There were so many onsen facilities in Nyuto Onsen village to choose from that I was tempted to go onsen-hopping all day! In the end, I settled for just one, Taenoyu Onsen. It is a cosy little ryokan with a rustic feeling. It has two types of hot spring water, one gold-coloured and the other clear.
The view from the private family bath that I booked was amazing! The waterfall from the Sendatsu River was mesmerizing as I soaked in the warm mineral water. 
I will come back again in another season to soak in other hot springs in this area.
Reflections of Seto 