Nagano Yamanouchi Town
A source-fed open-air bath at the foot of Yokoteyama, a true outdoor mountain sauna soothed by the flames of wood, and a famous-water cold plunge bath
"Shiga Kogen Lodge" is a hot spring lodge nestled at the foot of Yokoteyama in Shiga Kogen, Yamanouchi Town, Shimotakai District, Nagano Prefecture, where you can fully enjoy nature and the outdoors. The hot springs feature a luxurious open-air bath fed with 100% natural hot spring water directly from the source at the foot of Yokoteyama, with no added water and no heating, as well as a large public bath with active stone hot spring water that warms you from the core. The sauna is a true mountain sauna with a wood-burning stove, wrapped in the great nature of Shiga Kogen. It can be enjoyed together by men and women while wearing swimsuits, and self-löyly lets you create the ideal level of humidity and heat to suit your own taste. There is also an icy cold yet astonishingly smooth cold plunge bath with continuously flowing natural spring water from Shiga Kogen’s exceptionally pure mountain stream, and an exquisite forest outdoor air bath where you can bathe your whole body in the refreshing highland breeze, making for a truly one-of-a-kind experience.
A luxurious blessing poured into the open-air bath overlooking the rich forest, using 100% natural hot spring water directly from the source with no added water and no heating. It warms the body deeply and thoroughly, has a gentle feel that leaves the skin soft and moisturized, and, together with the active stone hot spring in the large public bath, offers the ultimate refreshment from everyday fatigue and sports tiredness.
A full-fledged Finnish-style sauna with a wood-burning stove, standing quietly amid the rich forests of Shiga Kogen. The cracking sound of the firewood and the gentle flames gradually maintain the room’s humidity, and when you perform self-löyly by pouring water over the sauna stones, fragrant wood aroma and hot steam fill every corner of the room. Swimsuits required.
An exceptional cold plunge bath that continuously uses an abundance of exceptionally clear and cool natural stream water from Shiga Kogen. While the temperature is astonishingly cold and refreshing, the water feels remarkably smooth and mellow on the skin, gently enveloping your overheated body after the sauna and delivering an unparalleled sense of exhilaration.
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
61 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.
