Entrance fee : 1050 yens |
Number of baths | |||
♂ | ♀ | ♂♀ | |
inside | 2 | 2 | 1 |
outside | 4 | 4 | 1 |
Spring information | |||
Main spring : 82°C pH=7.6 | |||
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 |
Other links |
www.asahi-net.or.jp/~XM6Y-YAS/... |
) The main outside bath contains a significant amount of sulfur suspension, giving a caracteristic yellow color to the water. |
(explanation on symbols) |
Global rating :  | |
| Located in Shin-Hirayu - just a couple of kilometers away from Hirayu, on the road linking Matsumoto (Nagano-ken) and Takayama (Gifu-ken) - this large, modern hotel is surrounded by forest and mountains, in calm surroundings. It is still a large hotel though, and the onsen lacks a little the bucolic feelings that can be found in the other onsen of the area. | |
| Size : | |
| The segregated parts have a good selection of baths, including two indoor baths, saunas, wooden outside baths and a special bath where people can lay down and relax. After wrapping themselves with a large towel (which are available in changing rooms), bathers can reach a mixed area with a large outside bath, which has a yellow color due to the amount of sulfur suspensions. The spring flowing in the bath being located in the middle of it, the temperature changes significantly is you sit in the middle of the pool or stay away from the flow of hot water. There is also a kind of cave bath opened on one side, and some showers, but both are less interesting. | |
| View : | |
| While this onsen is surrounded by high mountains, which usually is perfect to enjoy a good time in the water, there are too many stuff disturbing the eyesight just around the bath! The parking lot and the access road are just a couple of meters away from the bath, the large concrete hotel comes into full view... The worst part is the smaller mixed "cave" bath, bordered with a small road and several pipes just one meter from the hot water! | |
| Modesty : | |
| For the mixed area, large and convenient towels are available for both men and women - a necessity as the baths can be seen not only from the road and parking lot, but also from the hotel itself. | |
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. | |
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