Photo: 663highland · CC BY 2.5 · Wikimedia Commons

Hoshikawa Onsen

Nagano · 星川温泉

Hoshikawa Onsen is a hot spring town in Nagano, Japan. The water leaves the ground at 80°C, hot enough that it has to be cooled before anyone can get in. Officially the water is classed as chloride spring, sulfate spring and sulfur spring.

Getting there

From Tokyoabout 2 h

CarNot needed

JR PassNot a JR line

Train to Yudanaka Station
Walk, about 10 min

Fly into Haneda or Narita. Times are rough estimates worked out from station locations, not a timetable — check the exact route on Google Maps.

Chloride springSulfate springSulfur spring

The water here

Chloride spring 塩化物泉

Salty water. The salt leaves a thin film on the skin, so you stay warm well after leaving the bath.

Sulfate spring 硫酸塩泉

Clear water with a faintly bitter taste. Known for holding heat.

Sulfur spring 硫黄泉

The classic rotten-egg smell and milky white water. It can tarnish silver jewellery, so take it off.

More photographs

From Wikimedia Commons. Tap a photo for the photographer and licence.

Things to see nearby

Takanashi clan fortified residenceCastle · 3.5 km

Lake NojiriLake · 19.8 km

Ryuoo Ski ParkSki area · 6.3 km

Mount YakebitaiMountain · 9.5 km

Nyohō-ji TempleTemple · 3 km

Nozawa Onsen Snow ResortSki area · 19.7 km

Places from Wikidata, photographs from Wikimedia Commons. Distances are in a straight line from the town.

With tattoos

Many public baths still turn away visible tattoos, and the rule is set by each bath, not by the town. The reliable way round it is to bathe privately: a room with its own open-air bath, or an inn with a private bath you can book for yourselves.

Rooms with an open-air bath — Nagano Inns with a private bath — Nagano