Yunohira Onsen: Day-Use Hot Spring Baths & Prices (Gifu)

Welling up in Takasu of Gujo City, deep in the Oku-Nagara area near the Hirugano highlands, Yunohira Onsen is a renowned day-trip bath in a quiet mountain setting. Its gentle sodium bicarbonate and chloride waters lie near several ski resorts. Its silky-feeling water is well regarded, and it is an easy stop on the way during a drive or a day out.

Highlights

There is an open, spacious main bath and an open-air bath, letting you enjoy a soak in the clear highland air. It is also easy to stop by on the way during a drive or a day of skiing. The surroundings are green mountain country, where you can relax while taking in the scenery of each season.

Enjoying the Seasons

Summer offers highland coolness and escape from the heat, while in winter it is popular as a warming bath after skiing. In spring and autumn you can pass time leisurely in the quiet highlands. Its location pairs easily with the nearby ski resorts and sightseeing on the Hirugano highlands.

Access and Basic Information

It is a few minutes by car from the Hirugano Kogen Smart Interchange on the Tokai-Hokuriku Expressway. There is parking, making it an easy stop on a drive. As public transport is limited, arriving by car is the norm. It is also easy to reach by expressway from the Nagoya direction.

Practical Travel Notes

Yunohira Onsen is a day-use-only facility, with admission around 800 yen for adults, and it operates into the evening. Thursday is said to be its regular closing day, and while it often opens on public holidays, checking the operating days before your visit is reassuring. There is parking for several dozen cars, handy for a stop by car. In winter it grows lively with skiers, so for a relaxed soak weekdays or mornings are the best bet. Around it are leisure facilities and ski resorts on the Hirugano highlands, so you can combine it with seasonal activities. Being close to the expressway interchange, it is also convenient as a bath to drop into on the way to or from a trip.

A Quick Tip

It has a regular closing day, so it is reassuring to check the opening days before you head out. It tends to get crowded in ski season, so choosing your time helps if you want a quiet visit.

Practical Information for Your Visit

• Spring quality: A sodium bicarbonate and chloride hot spring. pH 7.43, colorless and clear
• Benefits: Neuralgia, muscle pain, frozen shoulder, joint pain, bruises, sprains, cuts, burns, sensitivity to cold, chronic skin conditions and recovery from fatigue
• Source temperature: 31.2 degrees
• Drinking the water: Not permitted
• Opening hours: 10:00 to 21:30 (last reception 21:00)
• Closing days: Every Thursday, though from January 2 until the end of March it is open every day. It also closes on occasion for equipment inspections and the like
• Admission: 800 yen for adults (junior high school students and above) and 400 yen for children (elementary school students). A book of 12 tickets costs 8,000 yen for adults and 4,000 yen for children, and a book of 53 tickets costs 32,000 yen for adults
• Layout of the baths: One open-air bath and one large indoor bath in each of the men's and women's sections
• Tattoos: People with tattoos, including temporary tattoo stickers, or body paint may not enter
• Amenities: Shampoo and body soap are provided free of charge. Some of the hairdryers are coin-operated. Face towels are sold for 250 yen, bath towels for 600 yen, a set of face and bath towels for 750 yen, razors for 100 yen and toothbrushes for 100 yen
• Lockers: The changing rooms have coin-operated lockers (the coin is refunded)
• Inside the building: There are 2 large rooms for resting and a corner selling local specialties and souvenirs, including seasonal local produce such as wild vegetables. Massage chairs and similar amenities are charged for
• Parking: 39 spaces
• Access (by car): About 5 minutes from the Takasu IC on the Tokai-Hokuriku Expressway, or about 15 minutes from the Hirugano Kogen SA Smart IC (ETC only)
• Address: 1792 Owashi, Takasu-cho, Gujo City, Gifu Prefecture (tel 0575-72-6455)
• Nearby: Hirugano Bunsuirei Park, the watershed divide park along National Route 156 (admission free)

📚 Sources

The spring quality, pH, source temperature, benefits, whether the water may be drunk, and the layout of the baths were confirmed on the "Hot Spring Guide" page of the official website of Yunohira Onsen. The opening hours, closing days, admission, ticket books, items on sale such as towels, the free amenities, and the notes on lockers and tattoos come from the "Opening Information," "Prices" and "Facility Guide" sections of the same site, and the driving times from the interchanges and the address come from its "Access" page. The number of parking spaces was confirmed in the facility introduction on the Takasu and Hirugano tourism website. The elevation of Hirugano Bunsuirei Park, the way the water divides between the Nagara and Sho rivers, and the seasonal wild flowers are based on the sightseeing spot guide on Gifu Prefecture's official tourism site. Details are subject to change, so please check the official information before you set out.