Day-use sauna in Nagano:
time slots and how to book

This guide answers the two things day visitors ask first about the sauna at MATSUKAWAKAN in Takayama Village, Nagano: what time the slots run, and whether a booking is needed. It sets out the Forest Sauna's four-slot schedule and the limit on each slot.

MATSUKAWAKAN has two saunas. The Forest Sauna has two cabins, and the Tenku Sauna is a private sauna booked by one group at a time. Both are open to day visitors, but the way you enter and time your visit is different.

Day-use sauna sessions must be booked in advance. Rather than turning up on the day, it is safer to hold a slot first, so it helps to look at the times and prices before you go.

The Forest Sauna's four two-hour slots

For day use, the Forest Sauna runs in four two-hour slots at 2,300 yen per person. Each slot has a fixed start and end time. Prices are subject to change; please check before you visit.

The first slot runs from 9:20 to 11:20 and the second from 11:30 to 13:30. The third runs from 13:40 to 15:40 and the fourth from 15:50 to 17:50.

Each slot has room for ten people. Once your slot is set, holding the booking early is the sure way. You can see inside on the page for The Forest Sauna.

Day-use sauna sessions need a booking

Day-use sauna sessions must be booked in advance. Lunch and the day-use bath need no reservation, but the sauna has fixed slots and limits, so a booking is needed.

If you arrive without a booking and your slot is full, you may not get in. Once your date and slot are set, holding it early is the sure way.

The Day-use sauna page shows the open slots and the booking entry. For just the Day-use onsen (650 yen, no reservation), you can enter from 11:00 to 20:00 without booking.

The Tenku Sauna, booked one group at a time

The other option, the Tenku Sauna, is a private sauna for one group at a time. It sits 1,000m up and is booked for 120 minutes.

Day use is 9,800 yen per group, for one to four people, and staying guests pay 3,000 yen per group. It has few slots, so booking ahead is advised.

From the open-air rest space you look over the sun setting into the Matsukawa Gorge. At night the sky is ranked third in the world, and in autumn the view is one chosen for Japan's 100 best autumn landscapes.

The room is lined with hinoki cypress, and the cold bath uses water from Takayama Village. For more, see the page for The Tenku Sauna.

The rest space, open 9:20 to 17:50

The day-use sauna plan comes with a rest space. It is open from 9:20 to 17:50, so you can use it before and after your slot.

You can lie down, read, and there are power sockets, so you can rest well after you cool down.

If you use only the day-use bath, a semi-private rest room is open from 11:00 to 16:00, and guests having lunch have priority.

Swimsuits, rentals and what to bring

Swimsuits are worn in the saunas. Swimsuits and ponchos can be rented on the day.

A sauna poncho rents for 680 yen and a swimsuit for 500 yen. A face towel is 150 yen and a bath towel 200 yen, and face towels are free for staying guests.

Guests with tattoos are welcome in all of the baths at MATSUKAWAKAN. At the public bathhouses in the village, please follow the notices posted on site.

Planning your day and getting there

On the day, it helps to build your time around the sauna slot you want. The rest space is open until 17:50, so you can take it slowly after your slot.

After the sauna, you can also use the day-use bath. It runs from 11:00 to 20:00, with last entry at 19:30, at 650 yen per person, and needs no booking.

MATSUKAWAKAN is about 40 minutes by car from Nagano Station. A free shuttle bus runs between the station and the ryokan.

Yamada Onsen has a free village car park, a short walk from the ryokan, so drivers can park there.

For the smaller details, see the Frequently asked questions.

Frequently asked questions