Akiu Onsen, Hot spring resort in Taihaku-ku, Japan

Akiu Onsen is a spa resort in Taihaku-ku featuring saltwater hot springs that flow through multiple bathing facilities. The various facilities offer thermal baths with mineral-rich waters in different temperatures.

The first records of this place date to the 6th century when the healing properties of the waters became known. Over time, a major spa resort developed, becoming known for its mineral-rich springs.

The old name Natori no Oyu, "the hot water of Natori", appears in the Heian-period poetry collections Shuishu and Yamato Monogatari. Emperor Kinmei is said to have bathed in water carried to the capital and recovered from a skin ailment; a stone monument in the spa quarter records the story. The Sato family served as keepers of the springs, and their line runs the Hotel Sakan today.

Buses leave from the west side of Sendai Station; the Takaya Kotsu "Sendai Seibu Liner" to Kawasaki-machi takes about 29 minutes to Sakan-mae, while Miyagi Kotsu rapid buses take about 45 minutes. Most lodgings run shuttle buses from the east exit of Sendai Station. By car it is about 20 minutes from central Sendai and about 10 minutes from the nearest expressway interchange.

The Akiu area holds 16 member lodgings of the Akiu Onsen inn association, with 1,242 guest rooms and a daily capacity of 6,172 people. Of the 87 suites in the Sendai area, 41 are here, and in 2010 the resort counted 818,805 overnight guests, more than Matsushima's 690,000.