Yamanashi · Ichikawamisato, south Kōfu basin
Miharashi-no-Oka Mitama-no-Yu
みはらしの丘 みたまの湯
A town-run day spa on a 370 m hill in Ichikawamisato, south of the Kōfu basin. From the unobstructed open-air bath you take in the whole basin with Yatsugatake, Mt Kayagatake and the Southern Alps beyond, and after dark the carpet of city lights is certified as a 'Japan Night View Heritage' site. The water is a translucent tea-brown alkaline simple spring containing organic matter from ancient plants, smooth on the skin. Indoor bath, open-air bath, lie-down bath and sauna; adults ¥850, children ¥500; open late, 10:00–23:00 (last entry 22:30), so you can watch dusk turn to night from the tub. Closed only for maintenance days. The restaurant's hōtō noodles, chicken giblet stew and Kōshū wine-beef set, and the farm produce shop, are popular. About 10 minutes by car from Kōfu-minami IC or 7 minutes from JR Kai-Ueno Station. In summer you may even catch the Ichikawamisato fireworks from the open-air bath.
- Price (adult)
- ¥850
- Hours
- 10:00–23:00 (last entry 22:30)
- Closed
- Open daily (a few inspection closures a year)
- Access
- About 10 min by car from Kōfu-minami IC via Routes 140 and 29; about 7 min by car from Kai-Ueno Station (JR Minobu Line); about 25 min from Kōfu Station
- Water type
- Alkaline simple
- Tattoos
- Ask ahead
- Admission
- Adults ¥850, elementary school children ¥500, preschool free. Lockers ¥100 refundable, towel rental ¥130 (also sold); soap, shampoo and hair dryer included in admission. Large tatami rest room, restaurant (hoto noodles, chicken-giblet stew, Koshu wine-beef steak), shop and farm stand, body care (charged). Cash, cards and e-money
- Baths
- A municipally run natural hot spring on a hill at about 370 m on the south side of the Kofu basin in Ichikawamisato, Yamanashi. From the unobstructed rotenburo you look down on the whole Kofu basin and the ridges of the Southern Alps, and at night the basin's lights — designated a 'Japan Night View Heritage' — spread below. A spacious bathhouse with indoor tubs, a rotenburo, sauna and plunge, joined by a large tatami rest room and a farm stand: the everyday bath of the town and a night-view destination
- Spring water
- Mitama-no-yu, an alkaline simple spring — a tea-brown water containing natural organic matter dissolved from ancient plants, notable for not being colourless but faintly brown. Slick in feel and gently alkaline, it leaves the skin smooth and retains heat well. Indicated for neuralgia, muscle and joint pain, poor circulation, dry skin, fatigue and the digestive system
- Access & parking
- 7 min by car from Kai-Ueno Station on the JR Minobu Line (about ¥1,500 by taxi), 25 min from Kofu Station. 10 min from Kofu-Minami IC on the Chuo Expressway via Route 140 and Prefectural Road 29, 2 h from Tokyo. Free parking for 145. The tokoroten shops and Wakamiya Shrine of Shirane/Ichikawamisato 10 min by car, Nambu Onsen 20 min, the trailhead for the southern ridge of the Shirane peaks 40 min
- Phone
- 055-272-2641
- Official site
- mitamanoyu.jp ↗
- Open in Google Maps
- Google Maps ↗
Essentials
Find a stay on Trip.com
Search and book accommodation across Japan on Trip.com. Day-use bathing needs no booking.
Opens partner booking site (affiliate)
Why go
- Basin-wide views; certified night-view heritage
- Tea-brown water from ancient plant matter
- Until 11 pm; ¥850
The night lights of the Kofu basin at your feet, and a brown alkaline beauty bath
Mitama-no-yu on Mihirashi Hill is a municipally run natural hot spring opened in 2004 on 'Mihirashi Hill' at about 370 metres on the south side of the Kofu basin in Ichikawamisato, Yamanashi. The name 'Mitama' comes from the old village name of this part of Ichikawamisato, and the facility's greatest feature is exactly what 'mihirashi' means — outlook: from the unobstructed rotenburo the whole Kofu basin spreads below with the ridges of the Southern Alps beyond, and at night the basin's lights, designated a 'Japan Night View Heritage', are visible from the tub (in summer the lights and fireworks overlap). The water is an alkaline simple spring tinted tea-brown by natural organic matter dissolved from ancient plants; it is slick when stirred and leaves the skin smooth, a classic 'beauty bath'. The bathhouse has a wide indoor bath, a rotenburo, sauna and plunge, and is joined by a large tatami rest room, a restaurant serving hoto noodles, chicken-giblet stew and Koshu wine beef, a farm stand selling local vegetables and fruit, and a body-care room — enough to fill half a day. Admission is ¥850 for adults and ¥500 for elementary children, free for preschoolers, and with hours from 10:00 to 23:00 every day of the year (only two to five inspection closures a year, which are announced) a late 'night-view bath' is possible — a major advantage. Twenty-five minutes by car from Kofu Station and 10 minutes from Kofu-Minami IC on the Chuo Expressway, it suits a day trip from Tokyo and combines easily with a climb in the Southern Alps (the southern ridge of the Shirane peaks), the old tokoroten shops of Shirane and Ichikawamisato, and Wakamiya Shrine. Weekend evenings are crowded with people coming for the view, so arriving half an hour before sunset to claim a spot in the rotenburo is advised.
Claiming the rotenburo at night-view hour, and making use of the hall and farm stand
Park on the hilltop car park (145 spaces) and pay ¥850 at the entrance for a ¥100 refundable locker. Rent a towel for ¥130 or bring your own; soap, shampoo and hair dryer are free. The bathhouse has an indoor bath (main tub and bubble bath), a rotenburo through the door, sauna and plunge; the rotenburo follows the hill's slope with a completely open view, so by day the towns and fields of the basin with the Southern Alps beyond, and by night the basin's lights, all fit into a single frame. The 'night-view seats' are along the low wall at the rim — where sitting puts the basin beneath you — so head outside first to claim one. The water looks cloudy tea-brown, but that is the colour of natural organic matter rather than sediment; slick in feel and a comfortable 41–42°C, it suits two or three soaks of 20–30 minutes. The best way to use this onsen is to arrive half an hour before sunset and watch the change from dusk to night lights from the rotenburo; in summer (July–August) some evenings coincide with fireworks over the basin and get especially crowded, so arrive early. Afterwards rest in the tatami hall, eat Yamanashi's hoto noodles, chicken-giblet stew and Koshu wine-beef steak in the restaurant, and buy Ichikawamisato's peaches, grapes and tokoroten (agar jelly — the area is one of Japan's leading producers) at the farm stand. Open until 23:00, a 'final bath' after dinner is possible, and weekday nights are quietest if you avoid weekend evenings and the firework season. Notes: the rotenburo is very cold on winter nights, so keep warm afterwards; the hill road can ice in winter; weekend nights are crowded; cash and cards accepted.
Practical details and a Kofu / Southern Alps route
Hours are 10:00–23:00 (last entry 22:30), open year-round (two to five inspection closures a year; confirm by phone); adults ¥850, elementary children ¥500 (preschool free), lockers ¥100 refundable, towels ¥130, free parking for 145. Access is 7 minutes by car from Kai-Ueno Station, 25 minutes from Kofu Station, 10 minutes from Kofu-Minami IC. Suggested routes: (1) half a day for the view — central Kofu in the afternoon (Takeda Shrine, the castle ruins), arrive at Mitama-no-yu an hour before sunset, sunset and night lights from the rotenburo, hoto for dinner in the house, then a night in Kofu or home; (2) the Southern Alps — the Shirane southern-ridge trailhead early in the morning (40 minutes by car), a bath at Mitama-no-yu on the way down (open until 23:00, so no rush), back to Kofu; (3) fruit and wine — peach and grape picking in Ichikawamisato and Ichinomiya (July–September), winery tastings, Mitama-no-yu; (4) families — snacks from the farm stand, rest in the hall, a bath, then fireworks in summer; (5) winter — the snow-covered Southern Alps and the basin's winter lights. Notes: check the inspection closure dates; weekend evenings and the firework season are crowded; the hill road ices in winter (winter tyres); the rotenburo is very cold on winter nights; cash and cards accepted. Mitama-no-yu is a Yamanashi onsen with an overwhelming view, close to Kofu and offering night views, beauty water and local food at once — the best facility to place on the first or last day of a Yamanashi journey.
Before you go
- No official tattoo policy is published — ask at reception.
- Last entry is 30–60 minutes before closing.
Features
Mood & scenery
Price
Amenities
✔ Verified operating: 2026-09 Operating status and rates cross-checked against the official site and onsen guides (full source notes in Japanese on the JA page)
Prices and hours change. Check official sources before visiting.
More in this area
Fujiyama Onsen
Next to Fuji-Q Highland, with one of Japan's largest all-timber bath halls. Price includes loungewear and towels, so come empty-handed. Free shuttle from Fujisan Station. Prices revised April 2026.
Hottarakashi Onsen — Acchi-no-yu
On a mountainside above the Kofu basin, a spectacular open-air bath with Mt. Fuji and the city lights in view. It opens 'one hour before sunrise', so people arrive in the dark to watch dawn break over Fuji from the water. Of the two bathhouses, 'Acchi-no-yu' is the larger with the better view. ¥900. The deep-fried hot-spring egg from the food stall is a must. Ten minutes by taxi from Yamanashi-shi Station; a feasible day trip from Tokyo.
Yamanakako Onsen Benifuji no Yu
Three minutes by car from Yamanakako IC, a day spa with Mt. Fuji rising straight ahead of the open-air bath. Highly alkaline (pH 10.3) yet gentle on the skin. Two open-air baths—stone and cypress—plus a lie-down bath, jets and sauna for ¥900. On winter weekends (Dec–Feb) it opens at dawn so you can watch the peak blush red at sunrise, the 'benifuji' of its name. 30 minutes from Fujisan Station on the Fujikko-gō loop bus.
