See the autumn leaves,
then soak before you drive home

This guide shows how to order a single day in Takayama, Nagano, so you can see the autumn leaves in the hills and then soak in a hot spring before you drive home.

The colour peaks about a month apart depending on height. At MATSUKAWAKAN day-use bathing has its last entry at 19:30, so it works well as the fixed end point of the day.

The elevation-by-elevation peak dates are covered in a separate article; here we only line up the leaves with the bathing hours.

Plan the day back from the bathing hours

At MATSUKAWAKAN, day-use bathing runs from 11:00 to 20:00, with last entry at 19:30. It costs 650 yen per person and needs no reservation. On the way home from the leaves you can stop in for the Day-use onsen (650 yen, no reservation).

If your plan is to bathe last and then head home, set that 19:30 last entry as the end of the day. From there, work backward to fix when you leave in the morning.

Day-use bathers can use a semi-private rest room from 11:00 to 16:00. Guests having lunch have priority, so the seats can fill up around midday.

How the peak moves down by elevation

The colour peaks about a month apart with height. In the tourism association's autumn feature, the high ground starts to turn in early October, and Yamada Onsen is at its best around 25 October.

The village describes the autumn front starting at Mount Kasa in early October and taking about a month to reach Yamada Onsen at 900m. So the day you go decides where you should look.

For the peak dates elevation by elevation, see Autumn colours in the Matsukawa Gorge. This article only lines those dates up with the bathing hours.

Morning up high, evening down to the onsen

The easy order is to go up to the higher ground in the morning, then come down to the onsen in the evening. About fifteen minutes by car from MATSUKAWAKAN are Kaminari Falls and Yamada Ranch.

In the autumn feature, Kaminari Falls at 1,100m peaks around 20 October and Yamada Ranch at 1,500m around 10 October. See the leaves up high, come down, and get in by 19:30, and the day fits together neatly.

Evenings turn cold up here. The indoor bath at MATSUKAWAKAN is filled entirely with free-flowing spring water, so it warms a chilled body from the core.

Lunch at the onsen, order by 14:00

If you want lunch in between, the restaurant runs from 11:00 to 14:30 with last orders at 14:00. The Day-use onsen with lunch pairs a soak with a meal partway through your leaf-viewing drive.

The most popular dish is a hot pot of more than ten kinds of local mushroom in a house fermented sauce. The Shinshu Takayama beef bowl set is 2,680 yen and the Shinshu eel set is 3,680 yen.

The rest room gives priority to lunch guests. If you want a relaxed bath and a relaxed lunch, avoid the hour or so around midday to find a seat more easily.

Book the sauna ahead; Tenku sits at 1,000m

You can add a sauna, but day-use sauna sessions must be booked in advance. Decide early, to fit it around your plans for the leaves.

The Tenku Sauna sits 1,000m up and is booked by one group at a time. From the open-air rest space you look over the sun setting into the Matsukawa Gorge and, in autumn, a view chosen for Japan's 100 best autumn landscapes. Day use is from 9,800 yen per group for a 120-minute session.

Swimsuits are worn, and swimsuits and ponchos can be rented on the day. Guests with tattoos are welcome in all of the baths at MATSUKAWAKAN.

About 40 minutes by car from Nagano Station

For those coming from far away, 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, and it is a short walk from there. Park there, and you can go round the leaves and the onsen.

The full route is set out on the Access page. Count the travel there and back, and decide your order with some room to spare.

Frequently asked questions