YAMADA ONSEN · NAGANO
YAMADA ONSEN · NAGANO
Forest Sauna — Fire & Starlight
The Forest Sauna at MATSUKAWAKAN offers something completely different from a city sauna surrounded by man-made things. Birdsong, the sound of trees moving in the wind, sunlight coming through the leaves. In front of you, the deep green of the forest opens out.
Forest Sauna
The Forest Sauna at MATSUKAWAKAN offers something completely different from a city sauna surrounded by man-made things. Birdsong, the sound of trees moving in the wind, sunlight coming through the leaves. In front of you, the deep green of the forest opens out.
Step into the sauna room, pour a slow löyly, and the heat works its way to the core of your body while the scent of wood carries the pulse of the forest through you. When you come out of the sauna, the natural cold-water bath is fed by the water of Takayama Village.
Even the sting of the cold water on your skin feels somehow good. With one deep breath, your five senses open of their own accord.
And at the end, sit in a chair beside the fire and look up — a sky full of stars, and the quiet time of totonoi, are waiting for you.
Beyond “Totonou”
Give yourself to nature, in a space with no unnecessary sound and no unnecessary light, and simply face yourself. A place where you can feel that essence of totonoi — that is what is here.
Facilities
Two rooms: a very high-heat sauna, and a herbal sauna scented with Shinshu herbs and birch. If you love saunas, go to the very high-heat room. If you would rather take your time and enjoy the nature around you, enjoy the herbal sauna.
| Sauna 1 85°C medium-heat sauna | Our aufguss master blends the scent differently from day to day. A sauna for enjoying the aroma and the steam slowly. |
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| Sauna 2 110°C very high-heat sauna | A sauna set up so that everyone, from beginner to expert, reaches totonoi for certain. It gets fiercely hot, so please enjoy your löyly a little at a time. |
The cold-water bath at the Forest Sauna uses the clean water raised by the nature of Takayama Village. It is properly chilled by a cooling unit, so the sharp, tightening feeling is there whatever the season.
And what stands out is the depth: 120 cm, a luxury made for sinking right in. Down to the shoulders, and it feels as though the water is holding you.
Your whole body is quietly wrapped up, and your head grows still. More than a few guests are taken by that feeling and come back saying they returned for this cold-water bath alone.
In the open-air resting space there are benches around the fire and reclining chairs. The flicker of the flames, and the air of the forest. And on a clear night, a sky full of stars spreads out overhead.
The voices of birds, the sound of the wind, the crackle of the fire — breathe deeply inside the music nature is playing. The feeling of “being here, now” slowly spreads through your body.
* Fire time begins at 20:00.
Plans & Price
On a day visit or as an overnight guest — anyone can experience the Forest Sauna. It is of course open to guests staying the night, and it is open to day visitors too. For people who love saunas, and for people who want to settle deeply in the middle of nature, we have two plans to suit how you come.
| When it is included in a stay plan | Stay plans include use of the Forest Sauna free of charge. Please check for the words “sauna included” when you book. Sauna time reserved for overnight guests: 20:00–23:00 (the fire is lit) |
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| Day use | Price | From ¥2,300 (tax included) / 120 min |
| Day use | Capacity | Up to 10 people |
| Day use | What is included | Sauna rooms, cold-water bath, open-air resting space |
| Day use | Hours | 10:00–20:00 (last entry 20:00) |
Prices are subject to change; please confirm on the booking site.
Option
At the Forest Sauna we also offer the experience of baking pizza in the oven. Eating a hot pizza you baked yourself, in a space surrounded by nature, is something special.
| Price | ¥3,980 per group (tax included, one pizza included) |
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| Hours | 11:00–20:00 (reservation required in advance) |
| Extra pizzas | You can order extra pizzas as well (from ¥1,000 each) |
| Please note | This experience is only for guests using the sauna. It may be cancelled in bad weather. |
Prices are subject to change; please confirm on the booking site.
Message
Close your eyes and what you hear is the sound of the wind, the singing of birds, the crackle of the fire. Let go of everything unnecessary, and what remains at the Forest Sauna is simply time spent breathing in step with nature.
Settling here does not only heal the body; it soaks quietly into the deepest part of you. A night spent under the stars, watching the fire, may remind you of a feeling of your own that you had long forgotten.
To settle, in the middle of nature. We would like you to taste that experience — the origin of it all — for yourself.
Guests who stay the night get the fire time from 20:00 and the sauna the next morning as well. Add the free-flowing hot spring water and the kaiseki course at the irori hearth. Doing both saunas is popular too.
Reservation
About 40 minutes by car from Nagano Station, with a free shuttle available. Please book through the official booking site (CHILLNN).