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Hirugami Onsen

Nagano · 昼神温泉

Hirugami Onsen is a hot spring town in Nagano, Japan. It measures pH 9 — strongly alkaline. Officially the water is classed as sulfur spring.

Getting there

From Tokyoabout 2½ h
From Kyoto / Osakaabout 3 h
CarNot needed
JR PassCovers the train
  1. Train to Iida Station (JR)
  2. Local bus, about 40 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.

Sulfur spring

The water here

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

Tenryū-kyōGorge · 9.2 km
Mount EnaMountain · 11 km
Iida CastleCastle · 12.2 km
Afuchi ShrineShrine · 2.6 km
Iida City MuseumArt museum · 12 km
Shinano Hiei Kōjō-in TempleTemple · 4.6 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 — Achi VillageInns with a private bath — Nagano

More on tattoos and onsen

Where to stay

Onsen inns — Achi Village

Opens Rakuten Travel, which lists inns in English. Onsen Guide earns a commission if you book through these links, at no extra cost to you.

Hot spring towns nearby

Tenryūkyō OnsenNagano · 天竜峡温泉9.2 km east
Radioactive spring
NakatsugawaonsenkuarizōtoyubunesawaGifu · 中津川温泉クアリゾート湯舟沢14.4 km northwest
Bicarbonate spring
Shinshūmatsukawa OnsenNagano · 信州まつかわ温泉23.2 km northeast
Simple spring
Rōsoku OnsenGifu · ローソク温泉27.4 km west
Radioactive spring
Ena Radium OnsenGifu · 恵那ラジウム温泉28.5 km west
Koshibu OnsenNagano · 小渋温泉32.5 km east
Chloride springBicarbonate spring

Similar water elsewhere

Towns further away with the same kind of water — useful if this one is hard to reach or fully booked.

Onneyu OnsenHokkaido · 温根湯温泉Also sulfur, similar pH
Sulfur spring
Iwate Morioka Tsunagi Hot SpringIwate · 盛岡つなぎ温泉Also sulfur, similar pH
Sulfur spring
Umegashima OnsenShizuoka · 梅ヶ島温泉Also sulfur, similar pH
Sulfur spring
Iya OnsenTokushima · 祖谷温泉Also sulfur, similar pH
Sulfur spring
Kamegai OnsenToyama · 亀谷温泉Also sulfur, similar pH
Sulfur spring
Tsurugatonneru OnsenFukui · 敦賀トンネル温泉Also sulfur, similar pH
Sulfur spring

The numbers

pH
9 (strongly alkaline)
Address in Japanese
長野県下伊那郡阿智村

Figures from the town's Japanese Wikipedia article.

Where it is

35.4547, 137.7181 — open the map

Read more

Japanese Wikipedia

Planning a first soak? Read how an onsen stay works, and what to do if you have tattoos.