Nagano · Shirahone Onsen
Shirahone Public Open-air Bath
白骨温泉 公共野天風呂
Right at the Shirahone bus stop, gender-separated public open-air pools built against the gorge cliff. Milky bicarbonate water for ¥700; no washing area, pure rustic soaking. Closed late Nov–late Apr and Tuesdays. Handy before or after Awa-no-yu's short day-use window.
- Price (adult)
- ¥700
- Hours
- 10:00–16:00 (weekends & holidays 09:00–17:00)
- Closed
- Thursdays; closed in winter (late Nov–mid-Apr)
- Access
- Bus from Shin-Shimashima Station (70 min) to Shirahone Onsen
- Water type
- Bicarbonate spring
- Tattoos
- Ask ahead
- Admission
- Adults ¥700 / elementary and under ¥400 (up from ¥520 until 2024). Shampoo and body soap provided; towels sold. Free onsen rice porridge and onsen eggs for sale on some days. The tourist office doubles as reception
- Baths
- One roofed circular rotenburo per gender right beside the stream; no indoor bath. Reached down steps from reception to the valley floor, with river and birdsong as the soundtrack. Simple changing room; washing area outdoors
- Water
- Calcium bicarbonate spring (sulphur-bearing), 38.7 °C at source, pH 6.9, rising naturally. Free-flowing without dilution or recirculation, though heated and disinfected. Clear when it emerges, turning bluish milky-white in the air — the whiteness is calcium carbonate from 200-million-year-old coral limestone. Mild temperature, good for long soaks
- Parking
- About 10 free spaces in front of the tourist office. Right by the Shirahone Onsen bus stop
- Phone
- 0263-93-3251
- Official site
- shirahone-onsen.org ↗
- Open in Google Maps
- Google Maps ↗
Essentials
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Why go
- Milky open-air bath for ¥700
- Right at the bus stop
- Easy to pair with Awa-no-yu
“Three days in the bath, three years without a cold” — Shirahone’s riverside rotenburo for ¥700
Shirahone Onsen is a milky-white spa in a deep valley at 1,400 m on the flank of Mt Norikura, known since the Edo period as a therapeutic resort with the saying “three days in the bath, three years without a cold”. The public rotenburo, run by the town, sits on the valley floor by the Yukawa stream just below the tourist office: one roofed circular tub per gender, and that is all. Yet the calcium bicarbonate spring flows in straight from its 38.7 °C natural source, and for ¥700 you can watch the Shirahone phenomenon — water that emerges clear turning bluish milky-white as it meets the air. The whiteness is calcium carbonate dissolved from limestone formed by coral reefs 200 million years ago. The water is mild and warms you slowly, so many linger for half an hour or more to the sound of the river. Facilities are simple but shampoo and body soap are provided, and some days reception hands out free onsen rice porridge. Closed for snow from late November to mid-April and on Thursdays. Combine it with Kamikochi or Norikura — 15 minutes by car from Sawando.
Tips & cautions
- Open only mid-April to late November; closed Thursdays. Weekdays 10:00–16:00, weekends and holidays 09:00–17:00.
- No indoor bath — the tub is roofed but you cross open ground; the outdoor washing area is cold in late autumn.
- Steps down from reception — take care if mobility is limited.
- Mild 38–40 °C water: long soaks are the norm, but in cold weather get out before you chill.
- Shirahone water is rich in calcium and can leave white deposits on silver and hair.
- No photography. Tattoo policy unconfirmed — ask on site.
- Day bathing in Shirahone means essentially here and Awanoyu (10:30–13:30) — plan your timings.
Getting there
From Matsumoto Station take the Alpico Kamikochi line to Shin-Shimashima (~30 min), then the Shirahone Onsen bus ~70 min to “Shirahone Onsen”; the bath is right there below the tourist office (Shirahone Onsen 4197-4, Azumi, Matsumoto). 15 min by car from Sawando bus terminal. By car ~1 h 10 min from Matsumoto IC via Route 158; snow tyres essential in winter. Tel. 0263-93-3121 (tourist office).
Before you go
- No official tattoo policy is published — ask at reception.
- As a communal bath there is no soap or shampoo — bring your own or buy at the shop.
- Payment is usually by ticket machine in cash — bring coins.
- Last entry is 30–60 minutes before closing.
Features
Mood & scenery
Price
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.
More in this area
Jigokudani Onsen Korakukan
A Meiji-era inn at the entrance to the Jigokudani Monkey Park, famous worldwide for wild macaques that climb into its rotenburo in winter. Day bathing is only 12:00–15:00, so most visitors combine it with the monkey park. It's a 30-minute mountain trail from Shibu Onsen — wear grippy shoes in winter.
O-yu (Nozawa outer bath)
The centerpiece of Nozawa's 13 public baths, a traditional bathhouse in the middle of the village. Local 'yunakama' associations have cleaned it daily since the Edo period; payment is a donation in the box at the door. Two pools, hot and 'mild' — though even the mild one exceeds 42°C. Adding cold water is bad manners: rinse first, then keep soaks short. No soap or shampoo.
Shirahone Onsen Awanoyu
The signature inn of Shirahone, famous for milky-white water. Its highlight is a large mixed-gender open-air bath — the water is so opaque that women find it comfortable. Day use at midday only.
