Norikura Kogen Onsen: Day-Use Hot Spring Baths & Prices

In the Norikura highlands of Matsumoto City, Norikura Kogen Onsen is a highland spa spread across upland terrain around 1,500 meters elevation. Looking up close at Mount Norikura in the Northern Alps and enjoying milky-white spring water is its charm. In the clear highland air, you can soak for a quiet while.

Highlights

Waterfalls such as Bandokoro-otaki and Sanbon-daki, and natural sights like Ushidome Pond, are scattered nearby, so you can enjoy bathing and hiking together. In summer you can ride a bus up to the Tatamidaira on Mount Norikura and take in alpine plants and superb views above the clouds. It is also known as a place for autumn foliage.

Enjoying the Seasons

From spring through summer there are alpine plants and tumbling waterfalls, and in autumn the crimson leaves that color Mount Norikura are splendid. In winter you can enjoy snow activities and snowy scenery, making it a place to savor nature through all four seasons.

Access and Basic Information

It is about one hour by car from the Matsumoto interchange on the Nagano Expressway via National Route 158 and other roads. By public transport, it can be reached by transferring to a bus from Shinshimashima Station on the Matsumoto Dentetsu Kamikochi Line, and the section of Mount Norikura where private cars are restricted is reached by bus. The spa town has a village-run day-use facility, Yukemurikan, where you can enjoy a milky-white open-air bath. The water is a simple sulfur spring, day-use adult admission is in the several-hundred-yen range, and it is open from around ten in the morning until night, with a closing day about once a month. Free parking is also provided.

Practical Travel Notes

The Norikura highlands are popular as a base for hiking and Mount Norikura sightseeing, so combining nature walks with a day-use bath is recommended. A standard flow in summer is to take the bus up to Tatamidaira for alpine plants and views above the clouds, then wash off in the milky-white water after descending. The recommended seasons are summer for alpine plants and autumn for foliage, when the parking and facilities grow crowded, so acting early in the morning is more comfortable. Nearby are real natural spots such as Bandokoro-otaki, Sanbon-daki, and Ushidome Pond. A day-use bath costs only a few hundred yen, and even with a highland stay it stays affordable.

A Quick Tip

Because of the high elevation, mornings and nights feel cool even in summer. If you combine your visit with hiking or a Mount Norikura excursion, bring easy-to-move clothing and a warm layer. Since private cars are restricted on the way to Mount Norikura, checking the bus timetable in advance is reassuring.

Practical Information for Your Visit

• Spring quality: Simple sulphur spring (hydrogen sulphide type). A weakly acidic, hypotonic, high-temperature spring with milky white water
• Indications (specific to this spring type): Cuts, burns, chronic skin conditions, chronic gynaecological complaints, diabetes, high blood pressure and arteriosclerosis. General indications include neuralgia, muscle pain, joint pain, sensitivity to cold and recovery from fatigue
• Contraindications (specific to this spring type): People with sensitive skin or mucous membranes (especially those with photosensitivity), and elderly people with dry skin
• How the water is handled: Both Yukemuri-kan and Seseragi no Yu use free-flowing water straight from the source
• Source temperature: The source of Norikura Onsen is about 49 degrees Celsius (a natural spring in the upper reaches of the Yukawa river)
• Day-use bathing (Yukemuri-kan): 9:30-21:00, last entry 20:00. Closed on Tuesdays (any other closing days are listed on the official opening calendar)
• Prices: 800 yen for adults (junior high school age and above) and 400 yen for children (from age 3 to elementary school age). These prices have applied since 23 April 2025 (Reiwa 7). There is also a book of 10 tickets for 6,800 yen (adults only, valid for one year from the date of issue) and an annual pass
• Payment methods: Cash, credit cards and PayPay are accepted
• Layout of the baths: One indoor bath each for men and women, and one open-air bath each for men and women
• Provided in the baths: Body soap and rinse-in shampoo are provided. There is one hairdryer at the vanity in each of the men's and women's changing rooms
• Towels: Bath towels are sold at the shop in the lobby. There is no rental service
• Changing rooms and accessibility: There is a baby cot. Lockers, valuables lockers and wooden lockers are provided. The accessible bath that used to be available has been discontinued
• Rest areas: There is a tatami corner, seating for resting and a corner with massage chairs, and the shop sells products such as yunohana mineral flakes
• A free open-air bath: Seseragi no Yu is free to bathe in and open 9:00-17:00 (until 16:30 in winter). It is a free-flowing open-air bath in a wooden bathhouse, but soap and shampoo may not be used
• Parking: The car park at Yukemuri-kan has 60 spaces. There is no parking for large buses
• Access: From JR Matsumoto Station take the Alpico Kotsu Kamikochi Line to Shin-Shimashima Station, then change to a bus bound for Norikura Kogen and get off at Norikura Kogen Kanko Center, right by the facility. By car it is about an hour from Matsumoto IC on the Nagano Expressway via National Route 158
• How long to allow: 1 to 2 hours if you only bathe; half a day to a full day if you combine it with Mount Norikura or a tour of the waterfalls
• Winter notes: This is a highland at an elevation of 1,500 m, and in winter there is snow and ice, so winter tyres or chains are needed. Even in summer the mornings and evenings are chilly, so a jacket is advisable
• Address: 4306-4 Azumi, Matsumoto City, Nagano Prefecture

Information Sources

The bathing fees, opening hours, closing days, payment methods, facilities and the handling of towels were confirmed on the price guide page of the official website of Norikura Kogen Onsen Yukemuri-kan. The spring quality, indications and contraindications, the origins connected with the Ohi silver mine and the rebuilding in Heisei 25 (2013) come from the ABOUT page of the same site, and the 60 parking spaces are stated on its access page. The name and temperature of the spring source and the other sources on the highland come from the hot spring guide of the Norikura Kogen Tourism Association; the name of the bus stop and the absence of parking for large buses come from the facility information on the official Matsumoto City tourism site; and the fact that the water is free-flowing, together with the hours and price of Seseragi no Yu, are based on the hot spring information of the Nagano Prefecture Tourism Organization. Details are subject to change, so please check the official information before you set out.