Day tour
From Takayama: Shinhotaka Ropeway and Kamikochi tour
4.8 (101 reviews) on GetYourGuide, checked October 2026
FromUS$209
See dates on GetYourGuideTakayama onsen: day spas, Okuhida baths and what they cost
The easy option
Bathing in town: Hidamari no Yu
Open 7:30 to 23:002
For an easy soak without leaving Takayama, Hidamari no Yu is the simple choice. It says its water is 100% natural spring water from 1,000 m underground at the foot of Mount Norikura, and describes it as weakly alkaline4, colourless and clear.
- Hours: 7:30 to 23:00, last entry 22:302 (checked October 2026).
- Open 365 days a year4; only the restaurant closes, at lunchtime on Tuesdays.
- No reservation is needed4 for day-trip bathing.
- Extras: a sauna heated with aromatic stones to nearly 100°C2.
- Address: 417 Fuyugashira-cho, Takayama City4.
Getting there: it is a 40-minute walk from JR Takayama Station, and it runs a free shuttle bus4.
The mountain option
Okuhida’s open-air baths
Five hot spring areas5
Okuhida is where you go for open-air bathing. The tourism association says Okuhida Onsenkyo is made up of five hot spring areas: Hirayu, Fukuji, Shin-Hirayu, Tochio and Shin-Hotaka5. Takayama’s tourism site says Okuhida has the largest number of open-air baths in Japan1, and the villages have the third-largest volume of hot spring water in Japan6.
Read more on the Okuhida Onsengo and Hirayu page, or see ryokan in Hirayu Onsen, the village with the longest history of the Okuhida hot springs7.
Day-bathing options that the local sources describe:
- Hirayu no Mori: 16 open-air baths6 for men and women. Open 10:00 to 21:00, last entry 20:30, all year but may close for maintenance8.
- Hirayu no Yu: bath open 6:00 to 21:00 (8:00 to 21:00 in winter)9.
- Kojin no Yu, Tochio: open until 22:006.
- Hirayu Forest Footbath: usable at any time except during cleaning hours6.
Fees at a glance
What a soak costs
Fees run from a donation box to a few hundred yen more at the bigger spas. Bus costs are the bigger part of an Okuhida day.
What a soak and the bus cost
| Item | Adult | Child |
|---|---|---|
| Hidamari no Yu day bath | ¥1,150 | ¥600 (age 4 to elementary) |
| Hidamari no Yu, junior-high pupils | ¥700 | – |
| Hirayu no Mori day bath | ¥700 | ¥500 |
| Hirayu no Mori private bath, per room | ¥3,000 | – |
| Hirayu no Yu bath, donation | about ¥300 | – |
| Kojin no Yu, donation in the ticket box | about ¥300 | – |
| Bus, Takayama to Shinhotaka Ropeway | ¥2,200 | – |
| Takayama and Shin-Hotaka two-day open ticket | ¥4,400 | ¥2,200 (age 6 to 12) |
hidatakayamaonsenstay.co.jp (resort); okuhida.or.jp (official); nouhibus.co.jp (operator)
The table lists only the baths and tickets with a stated price. Check each bath for its current rate before you go.
By bus
How do you get to Okuhida without a car?
Take the Nohi Bus from Takayama. The options from there:
About 90 minutes by bus10
- Shinhotaka Ropeway: japan-guide.com says the bus takes about 90 minutes10. The adult fare is ¥2,20011 (about US$14).
- Hirayu Bus Terminal: it has shuttle buses to Kamikochi and Mt. Norikura1.
- Kamikochi: the bus takes about 90 minutes from Takayama via Hirayu Onsen, or 30 minutes12 by shuttle from Hirayu Onsen.
If you want one ticket for a day around the ropeway, look at the Takayama and Shin-Hotaka open ticket in the table above. For the ropeway itself, see the Shinhotaka Ropeway page or the tour below.
Tattoos and who it suits
Japan’s national tourism site says some onsen do not allow tattoos, and that covering them may get you in but you should check with the facility first13. Rules differ by place.
- One Takayama hotel says guests with tattoos of any size may not use the public bath14.
- Another lets guests in only if they can cover them15.
Ask before you book a stay for its bath.
Hidamari no Yu says it is safe for everyone, from babies to elderly people4. It has a locker room and powder room with a baby bed, and children under 4 bathe free2.
Beyond the baths
Nearby, and Gero
Gero: about an hour south19
Near the Okuhida baths:
- Hirayu Otaki Falls: drops 64 m and is one of the three best-known waterfalls in Hida16.
- Shinhotaka Ropeway: climbs to 2,156 m17. Nakazaki Sanso Okuhida no Yu is near the first station6.
- Kita Alps Bridge: about 8 minutes18 by car from the ropeway.
- Okuhida Bear Park: about 18 minutes18 by car from the ropeway.
In winter, the Hirayu ski resort day visit guide covers the slopes near the baths. For other sights, see Takayama sights beyond the baths.
Gero Onsen, with a 1,000-year history, is one of Japan’s Three Great Hot Springs, alongside Arima and Kusatsu19. It is about an hour south of Takayama19 by bus or JR train.
JR Central has a sample Takayama and Gero Onsen itinerary from Nagoya lasting 2 days (1 night)20.
Heading to Kanazawa instead? The one-way bus from Takayama Bus Terminal to Kanazawa Station is ¥4,20021 (about US$27).
Photos: Wikimedia Commons. Authors and licences: image credits
Checked against 22 sources · last checked October 2026
- hida.jp (official) · checked October 2026
- hidatakayamaonsenstay.co.jp (resort) · checked October 2026
- European Central Bank (official) · checked October 2026
- hidatakayamaonsenstay.co.jp (resort) · checked October 2026
- okuhida.or.jp (official) · checked October 2026
- okuhida.or.jp (official) · checked October 2026
- okuhida.or.jp (official) · checked October 2026
- okuhida.or.jp (official) · checked October 2026
- okuhida.or.jp (official) · checked October 2026
- japan-guide.com (travel guide) · checked October 2026
- nouhibus.co.jp (operator) · checked October 2026
- nouhibus.co.jp (operator) · checked October 2026
- japan.travel (official) · checked October 2026
- Hotel and Spa Gift TAKAYAMA (operator) · checked October 2026
- takayama-gh.com (resort) · checked October 2026
- okuhida.or.jp (official) · checked October 2026
- okuhida.or.jp (official) · checked October 2026
- Shinhotaka Ropeway (operator) · checked October 2026
- hida.jp (official) · checked October 2026
- global.jr-central.co.jp (operator) · checked October 2026
- nouhibus.co.jp (operator) · checked October 2026
- nouhibus.co.jp (operator) · checked October 2026
Page history · last changed 24 October 2026
- First written
