Yamada Ryokan

This inn is located very remote mountain area. So you must enjoy great scenery. More over, you can enjoy very good old day's Japanese style building. Also, you have a great time with their nice meal and local brewery which makes great sake!

retrospective and warm atomosphere

This hot springs resort is located in the mountains of Otari Village, Kitaazumi District, in the northernmost part of Nagano Prefecture. This inn has two unique features. First, the building's history is very long. The three-story wooden main building was constructed around 1850 (Kaei 3), towards the end of the Edo period. The extension was also built in 1884 (Meiji 17), giving the inn a long history of welcoming countless hot spring visitors for nearly 150 years. The new building, also three stories tall and made of wood, was constructed in 1914 (Taisho 3). The following year, in 1915 (Taisho 4), a bathing building (indoor bath with hot spring water) was built between the main and new buildings. These buildings, along with the adjacent storehouse, are registered as national tangible cultural properties. The second feature is that the inn's hot springs are said to be effective against hysteria, a rare phenomenon nationwide. During the bathroom building renovations in 2021 (Reiwa 3), the efficacy sign was updated and the "hysteria" claim was removed for some reason. It's unclear whether the spring quality or efficacy has changed, so if anyone out there has hysteria, please let us know if it's effective for you. Now, let's talk a bit about how to get to this inn. From the Otani Onsenguchi intersection on National Route 148, it's a hassle-free 10km drive on the well-maintained Prefectural Route 114. It's also conveniently a 35-minute bus ride from Minami-Otari Station on the JR Oito Line. However, if you're planning to visit this hot spring by car, we recommend approaching it from the Niigata side (towards Myoko Kogen) via Prefectural Route 39 and the Myoko-Otari Line Forest Road. The section up to Otomiyama Pass is a narrow, unpaved mountain road that requires extreme caution and can be nerve-wracking, but the moment you emerge from the Otomi Tunnel at an altitude of 1,500m, an indescribable view of the Northern Alps unfolds before your eyes, instantly releasing all the tension you've been feeling and making all your hard work worthwhile. Once you've crossed the pass, Otari Onsen is just a stone's throw away. Once you arrive at your accommodation, it's a good idea to head straight for the baths to soothe your nerves.

I used the bathing service as an outpatient. Reception closes at 2:30pm and you can use the bath until 3pm, but when it's busy they limit the number of people allowed in, so they may close earlier. Since they limit the number of people allowed in at one time, I was able to relax in the bath. The semi-open-air observation bath with a great view has lukewarm water, so you can stay in it for a long time. The indoor bath was just the right temperature and felt great. The water in both baths was thick and soft. The charming building gave me a sense of history.