Takayama Village's eight hot springs,
from the Matsukawa Gorge to Yamada Ranch

If you search for hot springs in Takayama Village, a lot of names come up at once. This guide lays out the eight hot spring areas in the village, in order from the top of the Matsukawa Gorge down.

The tourism association counts eight areas here, scattered from the Matsukawa Gorge up to Yamada Ranch and known together as the Shinshu Takayama Onsen District. From the top down they are Okuyamada, Shichimi, Goshiki, Matsukawa Gorge, Yamada, Warabi, Koyasu and You-yu Land.

The colour of the water and the type of spring change from one area to the next. Get the layout of the whole village first, then look at what makes each spring different.

Eight hot springs, lined up by altitude

The tourism association counts eight hot spring areas in Takayama Village. They are scattered from the Matsukawa Gorge up to Yamada Ranch, and together they form the Shinshu Takayama Onsen District.

The easiest way to picture them is by altitude. The highest is Okuyamada and the lowest is You-yu Land, with the rest set out in the list below.

The upstream springs: Okuyamada, Shichimi, Goshiki

The highest of them all is Okuyamada. The tourism association places it 1,500m up, with cloudy white simple sulphur water at pH 6.8.

A little lower is Shichimi, whose name has a story. The tourism association says it comes from blending seven separate springs, each with a different make-up, that rise there naturally.

Further down is Goshiki. The tourism association says it is named for water that changes colour with the weather, set in a fold of the mountains.

Yamada Onsen: a colourless chloride spring at pH 7.3

About halfway down the valley sits Yamada Onsen. The tourism association describes it as a colourless sulphur, sodium and calcium chloride spring at pH 7.3.

Its source temperatures are on record too. The tourism association gives the Motoyu source as 59.4C and the Wanaba source as 80.5C, mixing to 67.3C.

For more on Yamada Onsen itself and how to walk it, see Yamada Onsen and Takayama Village.

Oyu and Takinoyu, two bathhouses on foot

Yamada Onsen has public bathhouses you can walk between. Oyu has been the central bathhouse of Yamada Onsen since the Edo period, and it offers three water temperatures to choose from.

The other, Takinoyu, is the local bathhouse. Its water runs hot, so it is usual to add cold water before you get in. Both are fed by the Yamada Onsen source.

These bathhouses are used by local people, so there is a way to use them. For how to go about it, see How to use the public bathhouses. At the village bathhouses, please follow the notices posted on site about tattoos.

Koyasu Onsen, an iodine spring rare in Nagano

Lower down the valley is Koyasu Onsen. The tourism association says its water contains iodine, and that only two day-use baths in the whole of Nagano Prefecture have water of that kind.

The tourism association gives day-use at Koyasu as 500 yen for adults and 150 yen for children, open from 10:00 to 20:00 and closed on Tuesdays. Prices are subject to change; please check before you visit.

The remaining areas, Matsukawa Gorge, Warabi and You-yu Land, are counted among the village's springs too. All eight differ in colour and in the make-up of their water, so it is worth comparing them as you walk the village.

About 40 minutes by car from Nagano Station

Yamada Onsen, at the heart of the village, is about 40 minutes by car from Nagano Station. Because the springs are strung out along the gorge, a car makes them easier to reach.

Yamada Onsen has a free village car park. Starting from there, it is easy to walk between the public bathhouses.

For a way to put the village together, see A Takayama Village itinerary. If you would rather visit for the day, there is also Day-use onsen (650 yen, no reservation).

Frequently asked questions