Entrance fee : 800 yens |
Number of baths | |||
♂ | ♀ | ♂♀ | |
inside | - | - | - |
outside | 1 | 1 | 1 |
+ 4 family bath | |||
no mixed bathing in winter | |||
Spring information | |||
Water type : simple thermal | |||
Onsen in Gifu-ken |
Funsenchi (Gero Onsen)Okuhida Garden Hotel Yakedake (Shin-Hirayu)Shin-Hodaka no Yu (Shin-Hodaka)Yarimikan (Shin-Hodaka)Ryokan Ontake (Nigorigo Onsen) |
Other prefectures in Tohokai |
| Shizuoka-ken |
) The mixed bath is located close to the river, and offers a great view on the surroundings mountains. |
(explanation on symbols) |
Global rating :  | |
| There are several really attractive onsen in Shin-Hodaka, and the rotenburo of the Yarimikan belong to that group! This recent but beautiful ryokan, built mostly in wood, is at the same time very comfortable and quite traditional. The main hall itself is really nice; in front of the main desk, two wooden buckets - filled one with hot water, and the second one with cold one - contain egg and... beer, respectively. Next to it, there is a tatami room with a small irori surrounded by fur seat cushions. The ryokan seems to contain lots of black wood and white stones, making it a very warm place. The staff is also very welcoming. | |
| Size : | |
| To access the outside baths, visitors or guest exit the ryokan from the main hall and go down a couple of stairs. Most of the baths are located along the Gamatagawa river. There are three outside baths (one for men, one for women and one mixed) of similar average size. The mixed bath, which is only for men is winter, has a stone table in the middle of it - it is the bath you see on most of the pictures of the ryokan. To reach the four family private baths, you just cross a small bridge on a pond; all private baths are very different, from a wooden circular one for two persons, to smaller individual baths, all outside. There is also a more sheltered bath. | |
| View : | |
| From the outside baths, the view on the surrounding mountains is great. There are almost no buildings on the opposite shore of the river, which is very convenient. From the kashikiri baths, however, the view is less impressive, even from the ones next to the river. | |
| Modesty : | |
| Women and men can bath together only in one rotenburo; there are separated changing rooms just above the bath, which is reached by the same stairs. If you prefer a more private time, just head off to the kashikiri baths... | |
Area :  | |
| The road between Matsumoto (Nagano-ken) and Takayama (Gifu-ken) is one of the few roads linking the western and eastern parts of Japanese Alps through the montains, as most travellers cross the country using roads along the Pacific Ocean (south) or the Japan Sea (north). Indeed, the Nakasendo road (which is located south) used to be much more popular, as it does not reach high altitudes. Nowadays, the journey from Matsumoto to Takayama is made much easier by the presence of a long tunnel which is linking the Kami-Kochi area to Hirayu Onsen. From Hirayu Onsen, it is a short distance to several attractive onsen towns, namely Hirayu, Fukuchi, Shin-Hirayu, Tochio and Shinhodaka, all located along rivers, at the foot of mountains in the 3'000 meters range. This area is known as Oku-Hida, and is a pure treasure for onsen lovers: most baths are outside ones with view on mountains and/or rivers; there also is an unusually high proportion of mixed baths, especially enjoyed by couples and families. Apart of the area itself, nearby Kami-Kochi (in Nagano-ken) is a fantastic place for nature lovers: a luxurious vegetation surrounded by very high mountains. Be warned that Kami-Kochi is extremely popular - and hence crowded - at some parts of the year... For a jump in the past, don't miss a visit of Takayama, with its preserved old town and sake breweries. | |
| Some web sites indicate that this onsen can be visited until 15:00; this is however wrong, and we arrived late there. However, the staff was really nice, and let us enjoy the bath for an extra hour. Furthermore, mixed bathing is not available in winter - but again, we just went together to the men's bath, as we were the only customers... |
) The stony table is very useful to hold a bottle of sake and a glass. | ) | |
) The ryokan itself is really beautiful, offering great inside settings with an irori, onsen water to cook eggs and even a cold bassin for the beer, all of them in the main hall! | ||