Hirayuonsen no Sato

Hirayuonsen no Sato in Takayama city, Gifu Prefecture, occupies the Hirayu Onsen valley at the base of the Northern Alps in the Okuhida highland district, where the Hirayu hot spring village has served as a therapeutic mountain retreat for centuries at the gateway to the famous Norikura Skyline road and the Kamikouchi alpine valley that rank among Japan's most spectacular mountain landscapes. The siliceous spring water flows from geothermal sources in the volcanic granite of the Northern Alps at temperatures ideal for extended outdoor bathing in natural rock pools, with views of forested mountain ridges that provide the scenery synonymous with the concept of Japanese mountain onsen culture. The facilities here blend rustic mountain ryokan hospitality with the high-altitude natural environment to create an onsen experience that represents the archetype of the Japanese highland bathing tradition.