Tsuru-no-yu onsen, or "the crane's hot spring," is the oldest of the hot springs in the Nyuto area of Akita prefecture in the Northeast region of Honshu (the main island of Japan). The region is known as "Tokohu," which was made infamous by the 2013 tsunami and subsequent meltdown at Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. That area is quite a bit southeast of where @jyokota and I were traveling.
This hot spring dates from the mid 1600s and the housing you see in the picture housed samurai back in the day. It was named as such because a crane reported was seen healing its wounds in the hot spring. It's incredibly atmospheric and not much has been done to modernize the look, which is pretty amazing. It is like taking many steps back in time. The inscription on this sign reads the name of the onsen and that it's a "secret hot water," meaning it takes a bit of effort to get all the way here. We did the "day bathing" in the healing, milky white waters before returning to our lodgings, and home the next day.
