Okuhida Onsengo

Okuhida Onsengo is not one town but five villages in the mountains east of Takayama, spread over a long drive up toward the Northern Alps. Hirayu has the longest history and the bus terminal, so it is where most people arrive. Fukuji is small and quiet along the Hirayu River, with inns built from relocated old farmhouses. Shin-Hirayu, at the foot of Yakedake, is the largest. Tochio is mostly family-run minshuku serving river fish and mountain vegetables. Shin-Hotaka sits at the far end, right under the Alps, beside the Shinhotaka Ropeway. Between them there are about 140 inns, and the area bills itself as having more outdoor baths than anywhere else in Japan, since almost every inn has at least one. The water is hot and plentiful. You do not need to stay to bathe outside. Arajin-no-yu in Tochio is an unstaffed riverside bath with separate men's and women's pools and nothing else, no showers or washing area: rinse with the hot water, get in, and drop about 300 yen in the box. Shin-Hotaka-no-yu is a mixed outdoor pool on the bank of the Gamata River, open only in the warmer half of the year; since July 2025 you must wear a swimsuit or bathing wrap or a bath towel. For a full facility, Hirayu no Mori in Hirayu has 16 outdoor baths for 700 yen. Public transport works, but the buses are spaced out, so check the Nohi Bus timetable before you plan a bath crawl between villages.