Mixed Gender Onsen, Nagano

Jul 16

Written By Matt

A lot of people are curious about mixed gender Onsen, But they’re not so many around to try. If this is an experience that you’re looking for Nagano might have a solution.

Yamada Onsen is a beautiful mountain hot spring town nestled in Matsukawa Gorge. A beautiful place to visit in winter with a snowy landscape, a perfect escape from this summer heat, a place to see cherry blossoms in spring, and a wonderful spot to see fall colorful leaves in autumn.

Taki no yu 滝の湯 is the Onsen that offers mixed gender bathing. Situated at the base of the gorge with a beautiful view of the river. It’s about a five minute drive from Yamada Onsen town towards the east.

There are three baths - one private bath for each gender and one bathroom y mixed gender bath. Clothing is not optional in the mixed bath.

Yamada Onsen is about 45 minutes drive from Nagano station and is also accessible by public transportation. The entry fee is ¥600 per person.

It’s also worth checking out Kaminaritaki waterfall while you’re there. An impressive waterfall with a path behind the falls. It’s just a 5 to 10 minutes walk from the parking lot tagged in the link above.

There are other onsen in town worth trying if you have the time. I recommend Shichimi Onsen 七味温泉紅葉館別館野天風呂 for only ¥300 with beautiful views across the river. This is the highest altitude Hotspring in the area. The water is murky white and smooth to touch Be warned that the water is incredibly hot!