Nagano Tateshina Town
Shirakaba Resort Ikenotaira Hotel
A highland onsen resort on the shore of Lake Shirakaba
- Ocean / Lake View
- Scenic View
- Natural Hot Spring
- Auto löyly available
- Aroma löyly available
- Finnish sauna
About Shirakaba Resort Ikenotaira Hotel
The onsen and saunas of Shirakaba Resort Ikenotaira Hotel in Tateshina, Kitasaku District, Nagano. Set on the shore of Lake Shirakaba at 1,400 m (4,600 ft), the hotel has an infinity-style open-air bath that looks out over Mount Kurumayama and the lake. In the mixed-gender area, Lakeside Mixed Bath Sora, the panoramic sauna Ku seems to float on the lake, and a cold plunge is continuously fed with natural underground spring water from Mount Tateshina. In the separate men’s and women’s indoor saunas, an aromatic automatic löyly runs every 30 minutes. The calcium-sodium sulfate spring of Tarugasawa Onsen warms you gently, and in the lounge after your bath you can enjoy free drinks made with the natural underground spring water. Whether you stay overnight or come for the day, you can savor a full day of resort relaxation.
Hot SpringONSEN
Tarugasawa Onsen
Tarugasawa Onsen is a sulfate spring whose main components are calcium and sodium. The water feels soft on the skin and retains heat well, warming you gently from the core. It is said to help with chronic muscle and joint pain, poor circulation and fatigue.
Main BathSauna
[Ki-no-Yu] Sauna
Every 30 minutes an automatic löyly fills the room with aromatic, moisturizing steam. There is space to lie down, so you can stretch out, relax and let the heat reach deep into your body.
[Ishi-no-Yu] Sauna
The sauna of Ishi-no-Yu is built around natural stone. Every 30 minutes an automatic löyly with orange aroma fills the room with a sweet, refreshing scent and plenty of steam. Like Ki-no-Yu, it has space to lie down, so you can stretch out, let go and work up a deep sweat. The solid, weighty feel of the stone gives the room a sense of calm, making it easy to focus on the intense warmth.
Main BathCold Bath
[Ki-no-Yu] Cold Plunge
A cold plunge continuously fed with natural underground spring water from Mount Tateshina. This gift of nature flows straight down from the high mountains, and the water is remarkably mellow and soft. There are three single-person ceramic urn baths.
[Ishi-no-Yu] Cold Plunge
Ceramic urn cold plunges continuously fed with crystal-clear underground spring water that has filtered through the layers of Mount Tateshina. The indoor urn is about 15°C (59°F) and cools the whole body gently and gradually, while the open-air urns are exposed to the outside air and can drop to about 9–10°C (48–50°F). Because each urn holds just one person, you can soak entirely at your own pace and let the heat of the sauna slowly leave your body.
Co-edSauna
Panoramic Sauna - Ku -
A panoramic sauna overlooking Lake Shirakaba and Mount Kurumayama. Its curving design is inspired by rolling mountain ridges, and large windows jut out toward the lake, so it feels as if you are floating on the water as you take in the view. Three stoves keep the room pleasantly warm, and you can sweat at your leisure while gazing at the grand scenery in the clear air at 1,400 m (4,600 ft). Swimsuits are worn in this mixed-gender area, so families and couples can enjoy the sauna together.
Co-edCold Bath
Cascade Cold Plunge
A cold plunge with a cascade of water, just steps from the panoramic sauna Ku. It is continuously fed with natural underground spring water from Mount Tateshina, and although the temperature varies with the seasons, it always has a crisp, bracing chill. The natural water pouring into the bath is safe to drink.
Stay here
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Facility Information
- Address
- 1596 Ashidahakkeno, Tateshina-machi, Kitasaku-gun, Nagano
- Business Hours
- 11:30〜23:00
Day bathing: 11:30–23:00
- Closed Days
- Irregular Holidays
- Gender Access
- Gender Separated
- Tattoo Policy (Communal Bath)
- No Tattoos
- Official Website
- View official site
Access
By car
- From Tokyo: about 2 hours 40 minutes (Eifuku IC → Chuo Expressway → Suwa-Minami IC)
- From Tokyo: about 2 hours 45 minutes (Nerima IC → Kan-Etsu Expressway → Joshin-Etsu Expressway → Saku-Minami IC)
- From Yokohama: about 3 hours (Minatomirai Tollgate → Ken-O Expressway → Chuo Expressway → Suwa-Minami IC)
- From Nagoya: about 3 hours (Nagoya IC → Tomei Expressway → Chuo Expressway → Suwa IC)
- From Osaka: about 5 hours (Meishin Expressway → Chuo Expressway → Suwa IC)
- From Niigata: about 4 hours (Niigata-Chuo IC → Hokuriku Expressway → Joshin-Etsu Expressway → Ueda-Sugadaira IC)
By train and bus
- Shinjuku → Chino Station: Limited Express Azusa, about 2 hours 10 minutes
- Nagoya → Shiojiri Station: Limited Express Shinano, about 1 hour 55 minutes → Chino Station: limited express, about 22 minutes
- Tokyo → Sakudaira Station: Hokuriku Shinkansen, about 1 hour 20 minutes
- Kanazawa → Sakudaira Station: Hokuriku Shinkansen, about 1 hour 50 minutes
- From stop 3 at the West Exit of Chino Station, take the Alpico Kotsu local bus and get off at Higashi-Shirakabako (Shirakabako Bus Station)
- Taxi: about 40 minutes from Chino Station, about 50 minutes from Sakudaira Station
Shuttle bus
- Departs Chino Station East Exit at 10:45 and 16:15; departs the inn at 9:30 and 15:10 (reservation required; book online at least 3 days before departure)
- Departs Sakudaira Station Asama Exit at 10:50 and 16:00; departs the inn at 9:20 and 14:30 (reservation required; book online at least 3 days before departure)
- On weekends and public holidays in February and March, an extra Chino Station service runs (departs Chino Station at 13:30; to Chino Station at 12:30; book by phone)
- Departs Shinjuku Station West Exit (in front of the main entrance of Shinjuku Center Building) at 9:30; departs the inn at 14:45 (select days only; reservation required)
- Departs the Nagoya Station Taiko-dori Exit bus stop at 9:00; departs the inn at 14:45 (select days only; reservation required)
Please gather 15 minutes before the shuttle bus departs. Parking is available for overnight guests only. From November to April the roads are often snowy, so winter tires or chains are required. For car navigation, search using the phone number 0266-68-2211.
Visited by the Editor-in-Chief
The Editor-in-Chief visited in person in March 2026
6 sets while gazing at Lake Shirakaba
Read the full review
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