Aoni Onsen: rustic hot springs with no electricity and no phone coverage!

Visit Aoni Onsen, an hot spring with no electricity and no phone reception!

Aoni Onsen is a remote hot spring resort located in Aomori Prefecture in Japan, and it is known for its lack of electricity and cell phone coverage. You can enjoy the rustic and warm atmosphere of this ryokan while completely isolating yourself from the rest of society! In fact, the ryokan Lamp no Yado here is only lit by oil lamps! Besides, the hot springs are located in a very snowy area and it will likely be covered in snow if you visit during the winter.

Transportation

Reaching Aoni Onsen from Tokyo will require several hops between trains and buses:

Start by taking the JR Tohoku Shinkansen from Tokyo station to Shin-Aomori station. The journey takes 3 hours and 17 minutes and costs 17.760 Yen one way. If you are a non-Japanese national you can save a lot by using the JR east Tohoku pass, which will provide you unlimited rides in Tohoku for 5 days for 30.000 Yen. You can purchase the pass on Klook. Alternatively, you can get to Aomori by air with flights from any Tokyo airports to Aomori airport, although I would not recommend it (costly and takes time).
From Shin-Aomori station, get on the JR Ou line to Hirosaki station (included on JR east pass otherwise around 590 Yen, 40 minutes in total)
From Hirosaki, take the Konan railway to Kuroishi station (around 500 Yen). It takes around 35 minutes but you will get wonderful views of the Japanese countryside from the train.
At Hirosaki station board a bus to Nijinoko Koen (35 minutes, 780 Yen). However, make sure to check the bus timetable as buses can be very infrequent.
Finally, take the shuttle bus to Aoni Onsen (it is mandatory to reserve it in advance by calling the ryokan!).

Things To Do In Aoni Onsen

Aoni Onsen is best enjoyed with an overnight stay with breakfast and dinner included. In fact, the food here is great! See the video below for an accurate report including all meals during my stay!
Soak in the many open-air baths (rotenburo). The main bath is mixed gender, but every time I went there there was nobody else using it, so I could use it as my huge personal open-air bath!
Seclude yourself from society: no electricity and no phone coverage available!
At last, I also recommend visiting Kuroishi city before going to the hot springs as there are many points of interest here. In particular, it is worth visiting the Komise area, where you will find many heritage buildings and traditional shops.