Gifu · Okuhida Onsen (Hirayu, Shinhotaka)
Nakazaki Sansō Okuhida-no-yu
中崎山荘 奥飛騨の湯
A day-use bathhouse right beside the Shinhotaka Ropeway base at the trailhead into the Northern Alps. Descended from a mountain hut, it is unusual in having two different springs — a simple spring and a bicarbonate spring — each served free-flowing. The open-air bath, with the murmur of the Gamata River and the rock peaks of Kasa-ga-take and Shakujō-dake in view, fills with hikers coming off the mountain and sightseers back from the ropeway. Adults ¥1,000, children ¥500; open 09:00–18:00 (last entry one hour before closing), irregular closing days. There is a rest room and a restaurant serving Okuhida fare such as Hida beef and soba. About 90 minutes by bus from Takayama Nōhi Bus Center to 'Shinhotaka Onsen', then 2 minutes on foot; parking for 11 cars (pay car parks nearby).
- Price (adult)
- ¥900
- Hours
- 09:00–19:00 (until 18:00 Nov–Apr; doors close one hour later)
- Closed
- Irregular (a few days a month, announced on Instagram)
- Access
- Nōhi bus for Shinhotaka Onsen from Takayama Station (Nōhi Bus Center), about 90 min to 'Shinhotaka Onsen' then 2 min on foot; about 70 min by car from Takayama IC or 85 min from Matsumoto IC
- Water type
- Bicarbonate spring
- Tattoos
- Ask ahead
- Admission
- Adults ¥900 / children (5–12) ¥450. On the 26th of each month (“bath day”) ¥500 / ¥200. PayPay etc. accepted. Towels extra
- Water
- Two sources, both free-flowing: indoor = alkaline simple spring (83 °C, pH 8.5, diluted with groundwater), the only milky alkaline bath in Shinhotaka; outdoor = simple sulfur spring (93 °C, cooled without dilution by trickling through bamboo branches). Drinkable
- Baths
- Cypress indoor bath, rock rotenburo and onsen mist sauna per gender; free tatami lounge, restaurant, rucksack storage and large lockers, women’s toiletries
- History
- Nakazaki Sanso, the inn that coined the name Shinhotaka Onsen and appears in Inoue Yasushi’s “Hyoheki” and Nitta Jiro’s “Shiroi Kabe”; closed in 2007 for erosion-control works and reborn as a day spa in April 2010
- Phone
- 0578-89-2021
- Open in Google Maps
- Google Maps ↗
Essentials
Stay in this onsen town
Compare and book stays in Okuhida Onsen (Hirayu, Shinhotaka). Day bathing itself needs no booking.
Opens partner booking site (affiliate)
Why go
- Right by the Shinhotaka Ropeway base
- Two different springs, both free-flowing
- Open-air bath facing Alpine rock peaks
Three minutes from the ropeway: two springs at the climbers’ base
Nakazaki Sanso Okuhida-no-yu is a day spa three minutes on foot from the Shinhotaka Ropeway, at the trailhead into the Northern Alps. Its predecessor, the inn Nakazaki Sanso, gave Shinhotaka Onsen its name and is the lonely lodge of Inoue Yasushi’s novel “Hyoheki”. Today it boasts two springs: the indoor bath is Shinhotaka’s only milky alkaline simple spring, while the rotenburo is filled with 93 °C sulfur water cooled, without dilution, by trickling it over bamboo branches. With rucksack storage, big lockers and a late-opening canteen, it is the classic first bath after coming down the mountain.
Tips & cautions
- Irregular closures (2–3 per month), announced on the official Instagram — check before going.
- Reception closes 18:00 in winter (Nov–Apr), 19:00 in summer.
- ¥500 on the 26th. Busiest 14:00–17:00 when climbers descend.
- The rotenburo is hot, the indoor bath mild — go indoor first, then out.
- You hand your shoe-locker key to the desk. Drinking fountain available.
- Late Apr–end Oct, pair it with the mixed riverside bath Shinhotaka-no-yu across the river (¥300 donation).
Getting there
Nohi bus to the Shinhotaka Ropeway terminus “Shinhotaka Onsen”, then 3 min on foot (Kamisaka 710); ~90 min from Takayama bus centre, ~35 min from Hirayu. By car ~70 min from Takayama IC or ~85 min from Matsumoto IC. Free parking for 14 (ropeway car park also usable).
Before you go
- No official tattoo policy is published — ask at reception.
- Open seasonally only — check the official site for operating dates before you go.
- Last entry is 30–60 minutes before closing.
Features
Mood & scenery
Price
Amenities
✔ Verified operating: 2026-09 BIGLOBE旅行・公式Instagram・4travel2023
Prices and hours change. Check official sources before visiting.
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