Photo: photo: Qurren (talk) Taken with Canon PowerShot G9 X · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Hotaka Onsen

Nagano · 穂高温泉

Hotaka Onsen is a hot spring town in Nagano, Japan. The water leaves the ground at 69.3°C, hot. It measures pH 8.6 — mildly alkaline, the slippery kind. Officially the water is classed as simple spring.

Getting there

From Tokyoabout 2½ h

CarTaxi from the station

JR PassCovers the train

Train to Hotaka Station (JR)
Taxi, 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.

Simple spring

The water here

Simple spring 単純温泉

Mild and low in dissolved minerals. Usually clear and gentle on the skin, which is why these baths are often recommended for first-timers.

More photographs

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

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