Gaga Hot Spring

Cannot overstate how pleasant and rejuvenating our experience at Gaga was. A quick hour-plus bus ride from Sendai Station to a rendezvous point at a nearby hotel, followed by a 15 minute shuttle to the onsen made this a fairly simple trip out of the city. Upon arriving, we found that the main room has a wood stove that helps keep a cozy ambience, and there are some Adirondack chairs and tables scattered around as well as a large, well-stocked bookshelf. There is also a bar charmingly named "Giant Steps" (there is a love for jazz that is apparent - a picture of Sonny Rollins behind the bar, and our room had several CDs to play on the stereo including Getz/Gilberto and Time Out). The lodgings are lovely, and we payed a bit extra to stay in the private bath room - worth the price for the convenience alone, and you can pull back the sliding doors for a beautiful view of the mountain valley while relaxing in the tub. Didn't visit the public baths but the publicly-available private bath is also very nice, and can comfortably fit probably 4-5 people. Again, the scenery and tucked-away vibe of this onsen is top-notch. Despite staying in the middle of January, the rooms were well-heated and the snow did not disrupt our trip up the mountain - however conditions at that altitude are changeable so keep this in mind. The food was incredible, some of the best I have had in Japan - my partner is vegan and I am vegetarian, and the chef & sous combo cooked up a wonderful pre-fixe vegan menu for us which featured local vegetables, rice, miso, tofu, and sake. Both dinner and breakfast were fantastic and we greatly enjoyed sharing conversation with the chef team who both had some English proficiency. Overall we enjoyed our stay at Gaga immensely and would certainly recommend it to any travelers in the region looking for a quiet, comfortable onsen experience. The English proficiency, private baths, and vegan meal options also make this an exceptional option for westerners with alternative lifestyles like vegan diets and tattoos.

A family-run pleasant place in the middle of the woods. Known for gastrointestinal cures for generations. Due to having been overseas, some English is spoken.

Amazing onsen resort! Best I have ever been to.