Nagano Ueda City

Nakamatuya, Bessho Onsen, Shinshu

A pure Japanese-style tatami inn where you can enjoy a famed hot spring with 1,400 years of history from the top floor

Bessho Onsen
Scenic View
Onsen Ryokan
Reserved onsen available
Natural Hot Spring

About Nakamatuya, Bessho Onsen, Shinshu

Nakamatuya, Bessho Onsen, Shinshu, is a long-established Japanese-style ryokan with 350 years of history, standing near Kitamuki Kannon in Bessho Onsen, the oldest hot spring resort in Shinshu. This warm, tatami-floored inn is proud of its panoramic public bath on the top, 7th floor. From there, guests can take in sweeping views of the Shiotadaira plain and the surrounding mountains, and enjoy a 100% natural hot spring sourced from a simple sulfur spring known as a beautiful-skin bath, praised in The Pillow Book. In 2025, a full-fledged sauna was added, featuring the rare Italian pellet stove, only the second of its kind in Japan. With the gentle warmth of wood and the heat of flame, a Shigaraki-ware pot cold plunge bath, and outdoor air baths overlooking the Bessho Onsen area, it offers a luxurious inn-sauna experience unlike any other.

Hot SpringONSEN

Panoramic Public Bath Indoor Bath

A spacious public bath indoor bath installed in a soothing tatami-floored bathing area, with abundant hot water. This natural hot spring, the oldest in Shinshu with a history of 1,400 years since opening, is a mildly alkaline simple sulfur spring with a pH of 8.9. Its soft touch leaves the skin moisturized and smooth, making it a beautiful-skin bath that even babies can enjoy with confidence when trying an onsen for the first time. Some bathtubs also offer the luxury of 100% free-flowing source water, with natural hot spring minerals floating in the bath, all wrapped in the rich fragrance of sulfur.

Panoramic Open-Air Bath

A panoramic open-air bath boasting an overwhelming view over the Bessho Onsen area from the top floor. Only Nakamatuya ryokan offers the luxury of admiring the famous Kitamuki Kannon from an open-air bath. At night, you can fully enjoy a moment of soaking in a supreme natural hot spring scented with sulfur, while gazing at the sparkling starry sky and distant night views, in a bathtub accented with Himekawa stone or in a cypress bath made of ancient Japanese cypress.

Family Bath (Private Bath)

Two private baths with different atmospheres, where you can luxuriate in the famous hot spring of Bessho all to yourself in a private space. Like the public baths, they use a mildly alkaline natural hot spring that is gentle on delicate baby skin and very kind to elderly guests. You can soak slowly in the famous bath without worrying about the people around you, enjoying a luxurious and peaceful private onsen time with only your family or your partner.

Facility Information

Address: 1627 Bessho Onsen, Ueda-shi, Nagano 386-1431
Business Hours: 15:00〜19:30/20:00〜10:00
[Day-use bathing] 15:00-19:30 (last admission 19:00), [Overnight stay] 15:00-10:00 the next morning (services suspended from 19:30-20:00 for the gender rotation)
Closed Days: Open Year-Round
Gender Access: Gender Separated
Tattoo Policy (Communal Bath): Unknown (Please Check)
Official Website: View official site

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JAPAN'S FINEST ONSEN & SAUNA

The Finest Onsen & Sauna in Japan

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