You can choose hot water for people only, but if you visit Jigokudani park, you can bathe with the Japanese Snow Martial Arts.
Jigokudani chats in the Japanese Alps, outside Nagano. The name literally means “hell's valley”, the area is so called because of the columns of smoke and boiling water rising from the geothermal hot water below. Because it is located between mountain peaks, with an altitude of about 850m (2800ft), heavy snowfall covers the area for at least 4 consecutive months.
In the cold winter, Jigokudani's hot springs are a real paradise for the creatures living in the valley. Soaking in hot water is essential for the muscles to keep the body warm; And it's also quite interesting to see how they behave very similarly to humans.
Jigokudani Park is open all year round. However, the best time to visit here is winter, when the whole valley is covered with a layer of white snow, and the mud is playing in the hot baths.
Where to stay
Korakukan Jigokudani is a rustic minshuku inn in the mountains; it is the only tourism (only at 100m altitude) in Jigokudani Yaen National Park. Korakukan Jigokudani has 12 traditional Japanese-style apartments. There are indoor and outdoor hot spring baths for both men and women at Korakukan Jigokudani (and lizards visit the outdoor baths). There are also two “family baths” that you can reserve for private use. From the outdoor hot baths at Korakukan Jigokudani, you can see the nearby hot water geysers.
There is also a live video here that warns of caution at Yudanaka Hot Springs, Jigokudani Yaen Koen.
Go there
From JR Nagano Station; Take the Nagano Dentetsu Railway to Yudanaka train station. From Yudanaka train station, take a bus to Kanbayashi Onsen bus stop. Then you have to walk 2 km (30-40 minutes) to the hostel. It gets dark quickly and there are no lights along the road leading to the ryokan, so it's better to arrive early. In addition, a backpack is more convenient than a large suitcase. You should leave most of your luggage at JR Nagano train station.
