Gokumu-no-Yu, the Private Open-Air Bath
An open-air bath reserved for one group at a time, free for overnight guests. Spring water flecked with drifting yunohana mineral flakes — mountain ridgelines by day, stars by night.
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YAMADA ONSEN · NAGANO
The TOJI.ba MATSUKAWAKAN
Wrapped in nature, a place where
body and mind return to themselves.
MATSUKAWAKAN is a small inn of nine rooms. Because we are small, we can offer the kind of care only a small inn can. Six baths and saunas in all, together with deeply flavoured cooking built on local ingredients, make a journey into a hidden corner of Japan that everyday life cannot give you. A free shuttle from Nagano Station is also available.
Book your stay →Notice
We are temporarily closed for renovations. We will post an update on this page once our reopening is confirmed.
The succession of Matsukawakan and the road ahead → Read the full announcement
Four Onsen Baths and Two Saunas
MATSUKAWAKAN Inner Bath (Uchiyu)
Hot, free-flowing water from a source with 700 years of history behind it. Take it slowly, in the cycle of onsen → cooling in the open air → onsen.
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Oyu, a Public Bathhouse (Sotoyu)
One minute on foot from the inn: the central bath of Yamada Onsen, in use since the Edo period. Free for our overnight guests.
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Takinoyu, a Public Bathhouse (Sotoyu)
Thirty seconds from the inn. A quiet communal bathhouse long used by the people of the village. Day-use guests are welcome here as well, though it may occasionally be closed for cleaning. Overnight guests can always bathe there.
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Forest Sauna
The scent of wood, a deep cold-water bath, and cooling off in the open air by firelight. A sauna of pure quiet, standing in the forest of a national park.
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Tenku Sauna
A wholly private space looking out over Matsukawa Gorge. Mountain ridgelines by day, a sky full of stars by night, all to yourselves. By reservation only.
VIEW MORE→Three Things You Will Find Only at MATSUKAWAKAN
A. Food | The bounty of the Shinshu forest, cooked at the irori hearth
Shinshu salmon, Shinshu beef, Shinshu “Fuku-midori” chicken, Shinshu pork, and the boar and venison taken by hunters here in Takayama Village: our kaiseki course lets you taste the meat of Shinshu in full, and only here. The gibier is the hunters’ own work, from the catch through bleeding and ageing. In the morning we serve a gentle toji rice porridge (zosui) made with mushrooms and the dashi we are proud of.
See our dining in detail→
B. Sauna | Give yourself over to starlight and firelight
The Forest Sauna, standing in a national park forest, and the private Tenku Sauna, looking out over the gorge. The scent of firewood, clean air, a flame that will not hold still — and then the quiet totonoi, the settled calm, that exists only here. At night the Tenku Sauna gives you a sky ranked third in the world, entirely to yourself.
See our saunas in detail→
C. Onsen | Drifting yunohana, from a source 700 years old
Yunohana — the mineral flakes rich in minerals that prove water has come straight from a real source. Sink into water that runs properly hot, then rest a while by the window: that rhythm of heat and cool returns body and mind to the state they were meant to be in.
See our onsen in detail→Japanese Rooms, Wrapped in Quiet
A Japanese room that dissolves into
the nature of the gorge.
A ryokan that still carries the look of the Showa era, put back in order around the warmth of its materials. Watch the trees beyond the window, listen to the river, and spend some time doing nothing at all.
See the rooms→
Japanese-Western Room
The gentleness of tatami and of a bed, both at once
Japanese Room
For 2–4 guests / trees and the river from the window
- 9 rooms in all · all non-smoking
- Free Wi-Fi
- TV
- Yukata and towels
- Room size and bedding: being confirmed
One Night and Two Days at MATSUKAWAKAN
15:00 Check-in
Wash the journey away in the inner bath
The inner bath draws from a source 700 years old. Wash your hair and body first, let the tiredness of the journey go, and bring yourself back into order. Sink into the hot, free-flowing water, then rest on a chair by the window. We recommend alternating between the cool air at 1,000 m above sea level and the heat of the bath.
16:00
Find totonoi at the Forest Sauna and the Tenku Sauna
In the Forest Sauna, standing in a national park forest, or the Tenku Sauna, looking down on the V-shaped Matsukawa Gorge, cool off in the open air until you feel part of the landscape. What you find here is what makes the meal that follows taste as it does.
18:00
Dinner: the bounty of Shinshu
Shinshu gibier, vegetables in season, Milky Queen rice, and the dashi MATSUKAWAKAN is proud of, cooked at the irori hearth. Toji — healing by hot spring — works from the inside as well.
20:00 | Recommended for sauna lovers
Fire time at the Forest Sauna
The fire is lit at the Forest Sauna. The stir of the trees, the sound of the fire, the smell of the fire. There is nothing here but nature — which is exactly the luxury of it.
20:00 | Recommended for onsen lovers
Stars and a moon-viewing drink at the open-air bath
Soak while you look up at a sky full of stars and at the moon, then step out and raise a local sake or a glass of wine to it. The kind of night you do not forget.
8:00
Breakfast: the toji rice porridge
A gentle zosui rice porridge to settle the stomach. Made with MATSUKAWAKAN’s own dashi and a generous amount of Shinshu mushrooms — a breakfast that carries the old culture of toji into the present day.
9:00
A round of the public bathhouses (Takinoyu and Oyu)
Takinoyu, thirty seconds from MATSUKAWAKAN, and Oyu, loved by the villagers for generations. Finish your toji with the sotoyu, the baths that connect you to the place. Take your time; check-out is at 10:00.
Guest Reviews
★★★★★
Cooling down with a view of snowy mountains — there is nothing else like it
Both the Tenku Sauna and the Forest Sauna gave me a feeling of being part of nature that was completely new to me. The hot onsen was exactly to my taste, and the gibier at dinner was genuinely delicious. The staff were kind as well, and I could relax from the bottom of my heart.
K.T. (trip with friends)
★★★★★
A private sauna in the snow made it a birthday trip to remember
We came for my partner’s birthday. The sauna in the middle of the snow felt like another world, and the self-löyly was the best part. The plum-and-shiso sour and the all-you-can-drink option made us very happy, and we were completely satisfied. Next time I want to try the Tenku Sauna too.
Chichi (couple, birthday trip)
★★★★★
For the first time in my life, a trip where I felt the warmth of people
What stayed with me was the warmth of the staff, who made it easy to stay even with a baby. The sauna, the onsen and the meals were all attended to with real care, and I came away genuinely refreshed.
Tezcatlipoca (family trip with an infant)
Excerpted and anonymised from reviews posted on Google.
Takayama Village, Season by Season
Spring | New green, meltwater, a hidden spring
A forest where the last snow and the first buds sit side by side. Listen to the river; taste the mountain vegetables and the clear air.
Summer | Starlight, firelight, sauna
Cool air at about 1,000 metres above sea level. A sauna retreat spent watching a sky full of stars and a fire.
Autumn | Red leaves, gibier and mushrooms
The season the gorge turns red. Mushrooms and gibier at their peak, and falling leaves, taken in with all five senses.
Winter | Snow from the open-air bath, and silence
In a private bath under rising steam, watch the snow come down without a sound until you too are settled. Bear and boar — the deep flavours only the coldest months bring — are part of the pleasure.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the check-in and check-out times?
Check-in is from 15:00, and check-out is by 10:00. If you expect to arrive late, please let us know in advance.
Can I visit for the day without staying?
The inner bath, the saunas and lunch are available between 11:00 and 20:00. The saunas require a reservation in advance. There is also a plan where lunch and the day-use onsen in Takayama Village come together, with bathing free when you order lunch.
Can the saunas be reserved privately?
The Forest Sauna is normally shared, but private use is possible. The Tenku Sauna is fully private for one group at a time: from ¥9,800 (tax included) per group for day visitors, and ¥3,000 (tax included) per group for overnight guests. Prices are subject to change; please confirm on the booking site.
Is “Gokumu-no-Yu” a private bath?
Yes — it is an open-air bath reserved for one group at a time (reservation required). Please sign up when you check in.
Can I bring my pet?
We are sorry, but we are not able to accept guests travelling with pets for overnight stays.
Is there parking?
There is free village-run parking within walking distance of the inn. In winter we recommend studless (winter) tyres.
Can I come with children?
We have plans on which children up to elementary-school age stay free. At the Tenku Sauna, children of elementary-school age and under must be accompanied by a guardian.
I have tattoos. Can I use the baths and the saunas?
Guests with tattoos are welcome. You do not need to cover them at our baths or saunas.
Can I pay by credit card?
Credit cards are accepted.
Do the staff speak English?
Our staff speak Japanese only. We serve guests from overseas with the help of translation apps, and we are glad to do so — please do not let it stop you from coming.
Access and Shuttle Service
3507-1 Yamada Onsen, Takayama Village, Kamitakai District, Nagano 382-0816, Japan
Free shuttle from Nagano Station
Overnight guests only, by reservation in advance
About 40 minutes by car from Nagano Station
Free parking on site (about 10 cars) / studless (winter) tyres recommended in winter