Oyu at Yamada Onsen, and
how to walk the hot spring village

Yamada Onsen, in Takayama Village, Nagano, is a hot spring settlement at the foot of the Matsukawa Gorge.

At its centre stands the public bathhouse, Oyu. Bathing once in the village bathhouse, separately from the bath at your inn, gives you the shape of the place.

Below we set out the hours and fees at Oyu, and what lies within walking distance, using information published by the Shinshu Takayama Village Tourism Association. MATSUKAWAKAN stands one minute from Oyu on foot.

Oyu opens from 6:00 to 21:00 and closes on the third Wednesday

The Shinshu Takayama Village Tourism Association gives the hours at Oyu as 6:00 to 21:00, with the desk open until 20:30. It closes on the third Wednesday of the month.

Since it opens at six in the morning, one bath before breakfast at your inn is easy to fit in.

The address is 3580 Yamada Onsen, Takayama Village, Kamitakai District, Nagano 382-0816, and the telephone number is 026-242-2314. It stands one minute from the Yamada Onsen bus stop on the Nagaden line, across the road from the Spa and Wine Center.

The fee is 400 yen for adults and 200 yen for schoolchildren

The Shinshu Takayama Village Tourism Association lists the bathing fee at Oyu as 400 yen for adults and 200 yen for primary and junior high school pupils. Prices are subject to change; please check before you visit.

There is an indoor bath, with shampoo, body soap and a hairdryer provided. There is no open-air bath.

Towels are not lent out, so please bring your own. Guests staying at MATSUKAWAKAN are given a face towel at no charge.

Guests staying at MATSUKAWAKAN may use Oyu at no charge. For day visitors, please see our Yamada Onsen and Takayama Village page.

A Momoyama-style bathhouse, in a village Mori Ogai knew

The Shinshu Takayama Village Tourism Association describes Oyu as standing in the imposing manner of Momoyama-style architecture. Its facility listing calls it a wooden public bathhouse with a karahafu gable, fed by free-flowing hot spring water.

Yamada Onsen has long been known to writers and artists. The tourism association and the village name Mori Ogai and Yosano Akiko; the official Nagano tourism site adds Kobayashi Issa and Kikuchi Kan.

The association gives the water as clear and colourless, sulphur-bearing sodium and calcium chloride at pH 7.3, with the main source at 59.4°C.

The pools are divided into a hot bath and a mild bath

The indoor bath at Oyu has both a hot pool and a mild pool, so it works even if very hot water is not for you.

If it is your first time, ease in at the mild pool and then take the hot one briefly.

The order to walk the baths, and the etiquette, are gathered in the etiquette of the Yamada Onsen bathhouse round.

Three footbaths, and a 1.3km path from Takaibashi Bridge

The Shinshu Takayama Village Tourism Association lists three footbaths: one directly in front of Oyu, one in the hot spring square, and one inside the Spa and Wine Center.

The footbath in the square runs hot, so take care. The one in the Spa and Wine Center is open from 9:00 to 17:30, free of charge, and closed on the third Wednesday.

The village holds inns, souvenir shops and places to eat. It is small enough to walk, and a pair of geta will see you round.

If you want a longer walk, there is the Mai no Michi path. It runs 1.3km along the Matsukawa river, from the roji gate beside Takaibashi Bridge to the Yakushido hall, and takes about 30 minutes.

There are steps in the second half, though: the tourism association counts 382 up and 183 down. Parking is seven spaces at the roji gate, the path is free, and it closes for winter from late November to late April.

On this path too, walkers are asked to carry something that makes a sound, such as a bell or a radio, because monkeys and bears sometimes appear.

Parking at Oyu is ten spaces, next to the Spa and Wine Center. The rest room is on the second floor of the same building.

Oyu is one minute from MATSUKAWAKAN, Takinoyu thirty seconds

MATSUKAWAKAN stands inside this village. Oyu is one minute away on foot, and the other public bathhouse, Takinoyu, is thirty seconds away.

Takinoyu is the bathhouse long used by people who live here. Day visitors are welcome, though it may occasionally be closed for cleaning. Guests staying the night can always bathe there.

Yamada Onsen is one of eight hot spring settlements strung along the Matsukawa Gorge. From the top down they run Okuyamada, Nanami, Goshiki, Matsukawa Keikoku, Yamada, Warabi, Koyasu and You-Yu Land.

How to fit them into a day or a night is in a model itinerary for Takayama Village.

Frequently asked questions