YAMADA ONSEN · NAGANO
YAMADA ONSEN · NAGANO
Tenku Sauna — 1,000m Above
In a place where the sky comes close, settle deeply, and deeper still. The “Tenku Sauna” at The TOJI.ba MATSUKAWAKAN sits 1,000 m above sea level and is reserved for one group at a time. Beyond the window: the green of the trees and the mountain ridges in the distance. At night, a soundless sky full of stars opens overhead.
Tenku Sauna
Leave the noise behind and simply give yourself to the rhythm of nature. Time to get yourself back — that is what is here.
On this page we introduce what makes the Tenku Sauna what it is, how to enjoy it, and how to use it.
Features
A luxurious private space wrapped in fragrant hinoki cypress. Part of the walls is finished in stone, so the radiant heat warms you slowly to the core — the real thing.
The heat source is a tower stove made by HARVIA. When you pour löyly, the water hisses and a firm cloud of steam fills the room.
And beyond the small window, the ridge of the mountains and the sky spread out like a single painting. Please taste your own time of totonoi here.
The cold-water bath uses the water of Takayama Village. Locals will tell you the water here is simply delicious.
Drawn from a clean source that runs through this village in the mountains, it is soft and rounded, whether you drink it or feel it on your skin.
The temperature is properly cold, and yet gentle. It wraps your heated body kindly and leads you comfortably into totonoi.
The totonoi of the sauna is completed here — that is what cooling off in the open air means at the “Tenku Sauna”.
In front of you, the sun setting into the V-shaped Matsukawa Gorge. At dusk the outline of the mountains is dyed orange, and the scene looks like a painting.
At night, a sky full of stars, once ranked third in the world, is overhead. If you are lucky, a shooting star may quietly carry your wish away.
And in autumn, a view chosen as one of Japan’s 100 best autumn-leaf spots is right there. Mountains dyed red, orange and gold — all to yourself, in surroundings so quiet they take your breath away.
In the middle of this luxurious nature, the special experience of having the open-air space entirely to your own group. The sky, the wind, and time that belongs only to you are here.
Summary
| Sauna room | A space rich with the scent of wood, using hinoki cypress generously. A HARVIA tower stove plus the radiant heat of stone warms you firmly from the core. Through the small window, a fine view of the mountain ridges and the sky. |
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| Cold-water bath | Uses the water of Takayama Village. Known for being soft and kind on the skin. Properly cold, and ideal for reaching totonoi. |
| Cooling off in the open air | From the private open-air space, the Matsukawa Gorge and the sky are yours alone. The night sky is at the level once ranked third in the world. In autumn, a view chosen as one of Japan’s 100 best autumn-leaf spots. |
| Shower | The sauna area has a shower. You are welcome to use it before or after the sauna. |
How to Enjoy
The Tenku Sauna is a space for reaching totonoi at your own pace. Here are the three steps we recommend:
| STEP 1 Sauna room | Warm up thoroughly in the sauna room (8–12 minutes) |
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| STEP 2 Cold-water bath | Tighten the body in the cold-water bath (30 seconds to 1 minute) |
| STEP 3 Open-air rest | Breathe deeply in the open-air space, looking up at the sky (5–10 minutes) |
Repeat this slowly two or three times and your body and mind loosen, and you are led into the deep totonoi where you think, “ah, I am alive.”
With no one else to think about, you can concentrate on nothing but your own senses. Please take all the time you want.
The feeling of becoming “nothing” that comes after the sauna. The place to taste it to the fullest is the open-air area of the Tenku Sauna.
At dusk, the setting sun and the gorge; at night, a sky full of stars and complete quiet, waiting for you.
The stars are exceptional — the whole sky is like a planetarium. On a night when the air is clear, you may even feel as though you are floating in space.
Between rounds of totonoi, please take in that view.
Guest Reviews
Here are a few of the reviews posted on Google.
★★★★★
The stars I looked up at while cooling off in the open air at night were truly incredible…!
In that soundless quiet, I felt as though I had become one with the sky.
Private, with no one to disturb us — it was an almost too luxurious stretch of time.
— M.N. (couple’s trip)
★★★★★
The scent of hinoki cypress and the radiant heat of the stone felt so good — the sauna room is at a high level!
The water in the cold-water bath is soft too, and it felt wonderful.
We got both the stars and the autumn leaves, and I really felt glad we came.
— Yuta (with a friend / sauna trip)
★★★★★
I visited on a solo trip, and the Tenku Sauna really is a space for facing yourself.
The view through the small window healed me, and cooling off in the open air was so relaxing I almost cried.
Having no one to disturb you — I had no idea it could be this rich.
— Shiho (solo trip)
How to Use
The Tenku Sauna is a private sauna available by reservation only. Each session lasts 120 minutes, and the space is yours alone for that time.
There are two ways to use it:
| Overnight guests | ¥3,000 (tax included) per group / 120 minutes, private (if it is included in your plan, we will tell you when you book) |
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| Day visitors | Private day use is available from ¥9,800 (tax included) per group. An extraordinary time of totonoi with someone who matters, easily arranged. |
We can suggest a time to suit you — the blue sky of daytime, the sunset, or the stars. * Popular slots fill up quickly, so we recommend booking in advance.
| Overnight guests | ¥3,000 (tax included) per group / 120 minutes, private (if it is included in your plan, we will tell you when you book) |
|---|---|
| Day visitors | From ¥9,800 (tax included) per group / 120 minutes, private |
Prices are subject to change; please confirm on the booking site.
| Private use | The Tenku Sauna is fully private, one group at a time (mixed groups of men and women are fine). |
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| Children | Children of elementary-school age and under must be accompanied by a guardian. |
| Reservation | Everything, day use included, is by reservation in advance. |
Reservations are taken through the official booking page below. For questions or anything you would like to ask, please feel free to contact us through our official LINE.
Special Time
Step just a little away from ordinary life, and be wrapped in the sky, the wind, and time that is only yours.
The “Tenku Sauna” is not simply a place to sweat; it is a place for taking back the time you spend facing yourself.
With no one to disturb you, laughing quietly with someone you love — or alone, breathing deeply.
Wrapped in the scent of hinoki cypress, feeling clear air, looking up at the glitter of the stars —
please come and experience that “journey into totonoi”, where mind and body come right, here.
The “Forest Sauna”, standing in the woods of a national park, is worth adding too. A fire, a pizza oven, and a cold-water bath 120 cm deep. A different kind of totonoi from the Tenku Sauna is waiting.
Reservation
About 40 minutes by car from Nagano Station, with a free shuttle available. Please book through the official booking site (CHILLNN).