A Ryokan With Both Sauna and Onsen:
How to Order Your Day

This is a guide for anyone who wants both a sauna and an onsen in the same day. MATSUKAWAKAN is a hot spring ryokan in Takayama Village, Nagano, with a free-flowing onsen and two saunas, the Forest Sauna and the Tenku Sauna.

It is written for people looking for a ryokan's sauna, not a sauna-only facility. It sets out the order in which to move through the indoor bath, the public bathhouses and the two saunas so the whole day feels good.

This article covers one thing only: the order for linking the indoor bath, the public bathhouses and the two saunas across a single day, following the flow of the hours. Links in the text lead to how to use a sauna and to the baths themselves.

Arrival: Warm Up in the Indoor Bath, Then the Private Open-Air

Check-in is from 15:00. Once you have set down your bags, start with the indoor bath to warm your body, which makes the sauna afterwards feel better. The indoor bath at MATSUKAWAKAN is filled entirely with free-flowing spring water.

Staying guests can use the indoor bath from 11:00 to 24:00. The private open-air bath, Gokumu-no-Yu, is for staying guests only and is booked at check-in, one group at a time. You can read about the baths on the About our onsen page.

The water at Yamada Onsen runs on the hot side. MATSUKAWAKAN suggests a cycle of warming up, resting in the open air, then going back in. When the water feels too hot, a wooden paddle cools it without diluting the spring's minerals.

Evening: Three Rounds in the Forest Sauna, Guests-Only From 20:00

The Forest Sauna offers a mid-temperature herbal sauna at 85C and a very hot sauna at 110C. The cold bath is 120cm deep, there are more than ten rest chairs, and self-loyly is allowed.

The staff suggest warming up in the indoor bath, drinking water, then ten to twelve minutes in the 110C sauna, with a loyly about two minutes before you leave. After that come the 120cm cold bath, a rest outdoors and the 85C sauna, repeated for three rounds. The full method is on the About the saunas page.

Staying guests use the Forest Sauna at no extra charge. From 20:00 to 23:00 it is reserved for them alone, and a fire is lit from 20:00, so the quietest hours of the night are the easiest time to work through the rounds.

Next Morning: Walk to Oyu and Takinoyu, One Minute Away

Check-out the next morning is by 10:00. Before that, it is worth visiting the public bathhouses you can reach on foot. There are two within walking distance of MATSUKAWAKAN, Oyu and Takinoyu, both fed by the Yamada Onsen source.

Oyu has been the central bathhouse of Yamada Onsen since the Edo period. It is a minute on foot from MATSUKAWAKAN and offers three water temperatures to choose from.

Takinoyu, the local bathhouse, is thirty seconds away and runs hot, so it is usual to add cold water. You can read how to use them on the How to use the public bathhouses page. At the public bathhouses in the village, please follow the notices posted on site.

The Tenku Sauna at 1,000m, for Sunset and Stars

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

Day use is 9,800 yen (tax included) per group, and staying guests pay 3,000 yen (tax included) per group. It is worth booking it separately from the Forest Sauna and treating it as a special part of the stay. Prices are subject to change; please check before you visit.

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

Day Use: A 650-Yen Onsen and a Booked Sauna Session

Day visitors can enjoy both the onsen and a sauna. Day-use bathing runs from 11:00 to 20:00, with last entry at 19:30, at 650 yen (tax included) per person and no reservation needed. There is more on the Day-use onsen page. Prices are subject to change; please check before you visit.

Day-use sauna sessions must be booked in advance. Because the Forest Sauna is reserved for staying guests from 20:00 to 23:00, day visitors do best to go during the day or early evening. The Tenku Sauna is 9,800 yen (tax included) per group for day use, and you can check availability on the Day-use sauna page.

Day-use bathers can use a semi-private rest room from 11:00 to 16:00. Guests having lunch have priority, so slightly earlier or later hours tend to be more relaxed.

Sort Out Swimsuits, Towels and Tattoos First

Swimsuits are worn in the saunas. Swimsuits and ponchos can be rented on the day, so you can come empty-handed.

For towels, a face towel rents for 150 yen and a bath towel for 200 yen. Face towels are free for staying guests. Prices are subject to change; please check before you visit.

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.

MATSUKAWAKAN is about 40 minutes by car from Nagano Station. A free shuttle bus runs between the station and the ryokan, and Yamada Onsen has a free village car park a short walk away.

Frequently asked questions