Takamine Onsen is a ryokan traditional Japanese inn that has the atmosphere and charm of a small, cozy mountain lodge. The accommodations are perfect for everyone, especially hikers and skiers relaxing sore muscles in the blue-hued sulfur hot spring water in one of six baths. Perched at an altitude of 2,000 meters, Takamine Onsen inn is sometimes above the clouds, providing a rare and stunning view.
Lead photo: The entrance to Takamine Onsen in Nagano Prefecture
Inn Report: Takamine Onsen
Simple is best
Hideo Gotoh, fourth-generation proprietor of Takamine Onsen inn
Basics
- Hot spring name: Takamine Onsen (JP: 高峰温泉)
- Inn name: Takamine Onsen (JP: 高峰温泉)
- No. of rooms: 22
- No. of baths: 6
- Open: Year-round
- Prefecture: Nagano
- Single travelers: Yes △
- Price range: ¥15,000 – ¥19,000
About
Takamine Onsen was founded in 1902 and retains its roots as a hiker’s inn. It has survived several calamities over the years, including destruction due to a landslide and fire. The current building was constructed in 1994 with modern amenities, making the facilities comfortable but still retaining the atmosphere of a cozy mountain lodge.
Fourth generation proprietor Hideo Gotoh is dedicated to keeping the inn up and running. The indoor baths were fully refurbished in 2008-2009, and two outdoor baths were added in 2010.
Takamine Onsen is a cross between a mountain hut and an onsen hot spring ryokan. The inn is a pleasant facility that keeps things simple and provides everything that visitors expect nowadays. Sit back, hop in a bath and enjoy the mountain views.
Rooms
- No. of rooms: 22
- No. of rooms with toilet: 22
- No. of rooms with bath: 0
The inn has 22 rooms, all with a toilet, and about half of them have a view down the Takamine Valley. The others have views of the mountain forest the ryokan is set in.
All rooms are furnished with tatami-mat flooring and, most importantly, a lantern, which provides a soft, incandescent glow that induces relaxation and hearkens back to the inn’s early days as accommodations for hikers.
The rooms are clean and comfortable, ensuring a pleasant stay.
Baths
- No. of baths: 6
- Indoor baths: 4
- Outdoor baths: 2
- Private baths: 0
The gem of Takamine Onsen is the men’s outdoor bath as it has an unobstructed view down the Takamine Valley to the city of Komoro below. The women’s outdoor bath looks out over the Takamine Valley. Both have some of the finest mountain views bathers will ever see, especially because the inn is at an altitude of 2,000 meters.
The indoor baths, which are open 24 hours, also look down the valley, although they are set further back than the outdoor baths and the view is mostly of trees – nothing wrong with that.
All baths are made of cypress wood. However, unlike the light brown color typically found with cypress baths, Gotoh-san prefers to use the harder but darker interior of the tree. That strength means Takamine Onsen’s baths last longer than ones made with the softer exterior of the wood, and doing so shows Gotoh-san’s preference for operating an environmentally friendly inn.
Hot spring water
- Source water temp: 36 C*
- Flow rate: 60 liters/minute*
- Hot spring type: Sulfur, calcium-sodium sulfate spring (hydrogen sulfide type)*
- Head added: Yes*
- Water added: No*
- *Learn more about this information
Takamine Onsen is a sulfur, calcium-sodium sulfate hot spring with blue-tinged milky-white water. The mineral contents are high and immediately noticeable. This is high-quality onsen water.
Location
Takamine Onsen is set in the middle of the mountains at an altitude of 2,000 meters. The ryokan is strategically located for hikers heading into the mountains – or in need of modern amenities when descending them – and a ski resort that is literally minutes away.
Few onsen ryokan are located at this altitude; almost none are open in the winter.
More importantly, at such a high altitude, visitors can experience what the Japanese call “unkai,” which literally translates as “sea of clouds.” Sometimes the inn is above the cloud line, meaning the view is of white clouds below and mountains rising above them. Only poets can express such a sight in words. I have witnessed it a couple of times, and each one is etched in memory. The timing is up to Mother Nature, but every visit provides a chance to witness such extraordinary beauty.
Access
Takamine Onsen is a 2.5-hour journey from Tokyo Station on the Hokuriku Shinkansen bullet train and local bus.
Unless you are in the neighborhood, so to speak, the easiest way to get there is by highway bus from Shinjuku Station in Tokyo. A Japan Railways (JR) bus ferries riders from central Tokyo to the ryokan’s front door in four hours. Easy-peasy, Japanese-y.
Proprietor
Fourth-generation proprietor Hideo Gotoh advocates for an environmentally friendly inn and is keen on providing guests with memorable experiences beyond those of typical ryokan. Natural gas separated from the hot spring water is used in the lobby fireplace. The facilities are nonsmoking, a rarity in Japan. He also conducts tours and classes such as morning bird-watching walks, onsen health care sessions and stargazing events. Nature and health feature prominently in his philosophy: “Simple is best.”
Detraction
Takamine Onsen is a successful inn. Rooms are few, and capacity rates are high. To keep the operation afloat, the inn focuses on a minimum of two or more people per room. Unfortunately, doing so means single travelers cannot make reservations more than three days in advance. I understand the economics. However, as an often lone-wolf traveler, this policy makes it difficult for us to visit such a special ryokan.
Standout points
Almost everything. This place is great. ♨
