Toyama · Murodō, Tateyama (Mikurigaike)
Mikurigaike Onsen (Murodō, Tateyama)
みくりが池温泉（立山室堂）
About 12 minutes on foot from Murodō terminal, the hub of the Tateyama-Kurobe Alpine Route, this inn at 2,410 m is Japan's highest hot-spring lodging. Milky acidic sulphur water piped from Jigokudani flows 100% free, and outside the window is another world: the 3,000-metre Tateyama range and the volcanic lake Mikurigaike. The bath is indoor only; day use 09:00–16:00, ¥1,100 for adults. The café's blueberry soft-serve and curry are favourites. Open only during the mountain season, mid-April to late November; closed in winter. Especially busy during the Snow Corridor (Apr–Jun) and autumn colours (late Sep–early Oct). With the altitude and strong water, keep your soak short.
- Price (adult)
- ¥1,100
- Hours
- 09:00–16:00
- Closed
- Closed in winter (late Nov–mid Apr); open daily in season (irregular closures in June)
- Access
- About 12 min on foot from Murodō terminal on the Tateyama-Kurobe Alpine Route (about 2 h from Dentetsu-Toyama Station via Tateyama Station, cable car and highland bus); no private cars
- Water type
- Acidic spring
- Tattoos
- Ask ahead
- Admission
- Day bathing adults ¥1,100 (as of 2025; up from ¥800 in 2022), children about ¥500. Towels sold for ¥300 (none provided). Overnight guests may bathe free until 16:00 on check-out day. Cash recommended — mountain connectivity is unreliable
- Baths
- Gender-separated indoor baths only (no rotenburo or private bath). Each has two tubs, hot and moderate, with windows facing Mt Dainichi and Oku-Dainichi. Shampoo and body soap provided; the acidic water blackens the taps. Mountain-hut-style lodging (about 100 guests), dining room, café and shop. At 2,410 m, beware altitude sickness; no bathing after drinking alcohol
- Water
- Simple acidic spring (also described as simple sulphur), strongly acidic at pH 2.28, 45–73°C at source, pale milky white with a hydrogen-sulphide smell, sour taste and abundant sulphur flakes. Piped about 340 m and 100 m uphill from Jigokudani and run 100% free-flowing with no dilution or heating. Indicated for atopic dermatitis, psoriasis, skin infections, diabetes, neuralgia and fatigue. Silver jewellery tarnishes
- Parking & access
- No parking (private cars are barred; free parking for 900 at Tateyama Station, paid parking at Ogizawa). About 15 min on foot along the Mikurigaike lakeside path from Murodo Terminal on the Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route. Toyama Chiho Railway Tateyama Station → cable car 7 min → highland bus 50 min from Bijodaira → Murodo. From the Nagano side, about 1.5 hours from Ogizawa by electric bus, cable car and ropeway. Travel light; the path has steps and, in spring, snow
- Phone
- 076-463-1441
- Official site
- mikuri.com ↗
- Open in Google Maps
- Google Maps ↗
Essentials
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Why go
- Japan's highest onsen at 2,410 m
- Milky acidic water from Jigokudani
- Mountain season only (mid-Apr–late Nov)
Japan's highest natural hot spring, at 2,410 m
Mikurigaike Onsen, at 2,410 m on the Murodo plateau at the summit of the Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route, is 'Japan's highest natural hot spring'. A mountain-hut-style lodge on the shore of the volcanic lake Mikurigaike, it is reached by a 15-minute walk along the path from Murodo Terminal. The water is pumped about 340 m and 100 m uphill from Jigokudani, an active volcanic valley still venting steam — a pH 2.28 strongly acidic, milky sulphur spring used 100% free-flowing with no dilution or heating. Soaking in the indoor bath while the ridge of Mt Dainichi fills the window, after meeting ptarmigan and walking the snow corridor, is the crowning moment of an Alpine Route trip. Open mid-April to late November only.
pH 2.28 milky acid water, hot and moderate tubs
There are only gender-separated indoor baths, no rotenburo — but with Mt Dainichi, Oku-Dainichi and a sea of clouds filling the big windows, the bath is a view bath in itself. Each side has a hot tub and a moderate one, so you can choose to suit how you feel after the hike. The milky water swirls with sulphur flakes and the smell is strong enough to linger on clothes and towels. It is so acidic that the taps beside the tubs have corroded black; take off silver jewellery and rinse lightly under the shower afterwards to be kind to your skin. At this altitude a long soak can make you dizzy, so take short dips several times, and bathing after alcohol is prohibited.
Season, prices and getting there
The season follows the Alpine Route, mid-April to late November; it closes in winter (late November to mid-April) and may take irregular days off in June. Day bathing is 9:00–16:00; the price has risen recently to ¥1,100 for adults as of 2025 (¥800 in 2022), and towels are sold for ¥300 but not provided, so bring one. Card payments and connectivity are unreliable on the mountain, so carry cash. Staying overnight lets you bathe as often as you like free until 16:00 on check-out day, and enjoy Mikurigaike after the day-trippers leave, the starry sky and a morning bath. Access is about an hour from Tateyama Station on the Toyama side by cable car and highland bus, or about 1.5 hours from Ogizawa on the Nagano side, then a 15-minute walk with steps from Murodo Terminal — travel light.
Before you go
- No official tattoo policy is published — ask at reception.
- Strongly acidic water — rinse off afterwards, avoid long soaks, and remove silver jewellery.
- Ryokan day-use hours are limited and may be suspended in peak season — phone the same morning.
- Last entry is 30–60 minutes before closing.
Features
Mood & scenery
Price
Who with
Convenience
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.
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