Shirahone Onsen Travel Guide

Shirahone Onsen (白骨温泉, literally "white bone hot spring") is a small onsen town in the Northern Japan Alps. The town is a loose collection of a dozen or so ryokan along the slopes of a steep valley, which lies near famous alpine nature spots such as Kamikochi and Norikura. Shirahone Onsen gets its name from its milky white spring water, which is nearly opaque with magnesium and calcium sediments and is believed to relieve gastrointestinal ailments.

There is one public bath in Shirahone Onsen. Furthermore, many of the town's ryokan open their baths to day trip visitors during the day for a few hundred yen. Among them is the Awanoyu with its large mixed outdoor bath that is often seen in tourist promotional materials about Shirahone Onsen.

The following is a selection of hot spring baths, which open to day trip visitors:

Awanoyu••

Hours: 10:30 to 14:00 (entry until 13:30)
Closed: Wednesdays and Thursdays
Admission: 1000 yen

Awanoyu Ryokan is home to Shirahone Onsen's iconic, gender mixed outdoor bath. Its milky water is nearly opaque, has a nice silky feel and is only lukewarm by hot spring standards. Women are allowed to wrap themselves in towels if they wish. There is also a separate women-only outdoor bath and segregated indoor baths for both genders.
Shirahone Onsen Public Notemburo•

Hours: 10:00 to 16:00
Closed: Late November to late April
Admission: 520 yen

Reopened in April 2019 after year-long repair works, this public hot spring bath is accessed by a long staircase that leads from the road down towards the river on the valley floor. Its gender segregated-outdoor baths lie right along the riverside, where you can relax to the sounds of rushing water and nature as you unwind in the outdoors.

Ratings: best of the best best of Japan outstanding

By bus from Matsumoto (how to get to Matsumoto)

Take the Matsumoto Electric Railway from Matsumoto to Shin-Shimashima Station (30 minutes), change to a bus to the Sawando Bus Terminal (40 minutes) and change to another bus to Shirahone Onsen (20 minutes). The entire trip takes 100-120 minutes and costs 2260 yen one way. There are only 4-5 connections per day.

By car

Shirahone Onsen lies a few kilometers off of National Route 158, which connects Matsumoto and Takayama. Alternatively, Shirahone can be access from Norikura Kogen via the Kamikochi Norikura Super Rindo, a former toll road that is now free to use.