Nagano Saku City
An open-air bath in the sky overlooking Mt. Tateshina and Yatsugatake, and a full-scale sauna that leads to the ultimate sense of freedom
"Hirao Onsen Miharashi no Yu" is a day-use hot spring and fitness facility in Saku City, Nagano Prefecture. It is located inside a highway oasis directly connected to the Saku-daira PA Smart IC on the Joshinetsu Expressway, and can be accessed by riding a super-long escalator said to be the longest in Japan without leaving the expressway, though it is also accessible from ordinary roads. Situated midway up Hirao Mountain, it offers an awe-inspiring miharashi from its gazebo-style natural hot spring open-air baths and tsuboyu, with sweeping panoramic views of Mt. Tateshina, the Yatsugatake mountain range, and the vast Saku Plain below. It is a superb sky-high relaxation space equipped with a full-scale five-tier tower-style sauna, a refreshing cold plunge bath, outdoor air-bathing space with a view of the beautiful sky, a carbonated bath, and alternating baths.
A natural simple hot spring, weakly alkaline and hypotonic. The gentle water is said to be effective for cuts, peripheral circulatory disorders, sensitivity to cold, and dry skin. With a roofed, gazebo-style rock bath and tsuboyu, you can enjoy the most luxurious outdoor air bath while taking in the overwhelming panoramic views of Mt. Tateshina, the Yatsugatake mountain range, and the vast Saku Plain below, all while feeling the pleasant mountain breeze on your whole body.
A striking five-tier tower-style far-infrared sauna installed in the large bath area. The temperature changes richly from tier to tier, allowing you to sit at your preferred heat level and work up a deep sweat, from the strong heat on the top level to the milder warmth on the lower levels. With its high ceiling and spacious design, it promotes excellent perspiration that leads perfectly into the best cooldown after sauna use.
A spacious cold plunge bath installed right in front of the sauna room, deep enough to soak up to your shoulders. The water is crisp and refreshing, a quality unique to a high elevation, and its temperature is kept constant. After warming up to the limit in the sauna or in the hot natural spring, this comfortable cooldown space lets a clear, exhilarating coolness soak through your body.
[Day-use bathing] Weekdays 11:00-21:00 (last entry 20:30), Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays 10:00-22:00 (last entry 21:30) *Closed: open year-round
Nagano
A celebrated spot with drinkable North Alps groundwater and the nation’s top electric baths
Nagano
A premium Karuizawa resort where you can totonou in a natural hot spring with water flowing directly from the source and the forest’s spring water
Nagano
A highland hot spring resort standing by Lake Shirakaba
JAPAN'S FINEST ONSEN & SAUNA
The Finest Onsen & Sauna in Japan
64 SELECTIONS
Most of what we surveyed never even made it onto this site. This book is a further cut from what did. Our editor bathed in every onsen and sauna in it, and wrote only what they confirmed on the ground.
