Shirahone Onsen Guide

Area guide

This Onsen resort is located in the western urban area of Matsumoto City, a popular tourist destination in Nagano Prefecture, almost in the center of Japan.

Surrounded by the peaks of the Northern Alps (also known as the Hida Mountains), which stretch to the border with Toyama Prefecture, it is a mountain Onsen located at an elevation of 1,400 meters above sea level, halfway up the eastern foot of the sacred mountain Norikura-dake.

Along the Yugawa River flowing through the Yugawa Valley, there are more than a dozen Onsen bathhouses scattered between mountain forests, and dozens of Onsen sources.

Although the town is not so much a Onsen resort, there are souvenir shops and eateries where visitors can spend a relaxing time.

The greatest attraction of this Onsen resort is that it is located in a deep and magnificent natural environment, and visitors can enjoy a panoramic view of nature spread out below them in the open-air baths at each Onsen bathhouse and public bathing facilities.

Not only visually, but you can feel the blessings of the earth through all five senses: the murmuring of the river, the chirping of birds, the rustling of trees, the scent of Onsens and trees, and Onsens that feel soft and soothing on the skin.

In the neighborhood, there are many spots where you can feel nature and history, such as the "spherical limestone hill," which is a national natural monument and is also the outlet of the Shirahone Onsens, the beautiful "Ryujin no Taki" waterfall with its countless white thread-like water streams, and the "Yakushido (Medicine Hall)" which has been believed in by healers from long ago with the wish to cure illnesses.

There are also many spots where visitors can feel nature and history.

There are also well-maintained walking trails that allow visitors to walk through the mountain forests, so you can truly refresh and relax while visiting such spots, along with the Onsens.

Also, if you go a little further, you can access the famous scenic spots of the Northern Alps, such as Norikura-dake, Norikura-kogen, Kamikochi, and downtown Matsumoto, so we recommend using the hotel as a base for visiting these scenic spots and historical sites.

Access

From Tokyo

<Shinkansen / Train / Bus>
Tokyo Station (Hokuriku Shinkansen) → Nagano Station (JR Shinetsu Line) → Matsumoto Station (Matsumoto Electric Railway Line) → Niijima Station/Niijima Station bus stop (Alpico Transportation) → Sawando Bus Terminal (Alpico Transportation) → Shirahone Onsen (approximately 4 hours 30 minutes)

< Bus>
Shinjuku Station/Basta Shinjuku (Alpico Kotsu) → Matsumoto Station (Matsumoto Electric Railway Line) → Niijima Station/Niijima Station Bus Stop (Alpico Kotsu) → Sawando Bus Terminal (Alpico Kotsu) → Shirahone Onsen (approx. 5 hours)

From Kanazawa

<Train/Bus>
Kanazawa Station (IR Ishikawa Railway Line) → Toyama Station (JR Takayama Line Hida) → Takayama Station / Takayama Nobi Bus Terminal (Alpico Transportation) → Sawando Bus Terminal (Alpico Transportation) → Shirahone Onsen (about 5 hours)

From Nagoya

<Train/Bus>
Nagoya Station (JR Tokaido Line Hida) → Takayama Station/Takayama Nobi Bus Terminal (Alpico Kotsu) → Sawando Bus Terminal (Alpico Kotsu) → Shirahone Onsen (about 5 hours)

From Osaka

<Shinkansen / Train / Bus>
Shin-Osaka Station (Tokaido Shinkansen Nozomi) → Nagoya Station (JR Chuo West Line Express) → Matsumoto Station (Matsumoto Electric Railway Line) → Niijima Station/Niijima Station bus stop (Alpico Transportation) → Sawando Bus Terminal (Alpico Transportation) → Shirahone Onsen (approximately 4 hours 50 minutes)

Water quality

Since ancient times, Shirahone Onsen has been said to be so effective that "if you stay in the Onsen for three days, you will not catch a cold for three years.

The spring is a simple hydrogen sulfide spring, which is clear and colorless when it gushes out, but turns milky white when exposed to air. This is because the two components, hydrogen sulfide and calcium, become cloudy when exposed to air.

Normally, milky white Onsens are highly acidic and often cause skin tingling, but Shirahone Onsen is mildly acidic and gentle on the skin. Therefore, everyone from small children to the elderly can enjoy bathing in Shirahone Onsen.

The high sulfur and carbonic acid content dilates blood vessels, warms the body, and is especially effective for gastrointestinal diseases.

It is also highly effective for internal organ diseases and nervous stress. It is also effective for women's diseases, diabetes, liver diseases, nerve diseases, respiratory diseases, atopy, skin diseases, and acne, as well as for beautifying the skin.

Shirahone Onsen is also effective when drunk. It is said to be good for gout because it is diuretic and expels uric acid, and good for diabetes because it expels diabetes and lowers blood sugar levels.

It also improves blood flow to the digestive organs and improves organ function, so it is effective for constipation.

History

Although Shirahone Onsen is located in the mountains at an altitude of 1,400 meters, the water is actually white because it contains a large amount of calcium carbonate, a component of coral reefs.

At the end of the Paleozoic Era, some 200 million years ago, coral reefs formed at the equator slowly migrated over time to the deep underground here in Norikura-dake, and groundwater heated by magma gushed out through them to the surface.

Although it is not known for certain when Shirahone Onsen was first opened, it seems that hot water was already welling up and being used as a Onsen when the Kamakura Ookan, a roadway to Hokuriku, was opened in the Kamakura period (1185-1333).It is estimated to have a history of at least 400 years.

During the Warring States Period, Shingen Takeda, who ruled this area, opened a silver mine at the foot of Mt. Norikura, and the Onsen was mainly used as a "hidden Onsen" to heal those injured or sick in the silver mine. The quality of the Shirahone Onsen hot springs seems to have attracted Shingen Takeda, a famous general of the Warring States period.

In the Edo period (1603-1867), with permission from the Matsumoto clan, the Saito clan, the headman of the area, opened a full-fledged Onsen bathhouse, which was gradually followed by a series of Onsen bathhouses.

Since it was located deep in the mountains, it became a hidden Onsen with high efficacy, and people began to visit it to heal their illnesses and wounds.

It is said that "If you stay in the Onsen for three days, you will not catch a cold for three years," and this saying conveys the feelings of the people who visited the Onsen to the present day.

In the Taisho era (1912-1926), more and more people began to visit the area, and the natural beauty of the area made it a favorite destination for many writers and artists. One of them, Nakazato Kaizan, published a full-length novel "Daibosatsu Touge (The Great Bodhisattva Pass)," in which Shirahone Onsen was the setting for a chapter, and the name became known throughout Japan.

In fact, according to old records, the Onsen was originally called " Shirafune Onsen" (white ship Onsen). It is said that the name was derived from the fact that the components of the Onsen adhered to the bathtub and turned it white.

However, in the Taisho era (1912-1926), the aforementioned Nakazato Kaizan's novel "Shirahone no Maki" was written in which Shirahone Onsen appears, and the name "Shirahone Onsen" became commonplace.

Nakazato Kaizan, who loved Shirahone Onsen, is famous for praising the "five-colorful and splendid view”.

Even today, visitors can enjoy the Onsen baths from 11 inns and public Onsens while viewing the spectacular scenery of unspoiled nature.

I highly recommend that you experience the " five-colorful and splendid view”.