Hoshikawa Onsen

Hoshikawa Onsen in Nagano Prefecture takes its evocative name from the Japanese words for star river — perhaps evoking a location where a starry sky reflects in the still water of a mountain stream, or where the spring sits beside a river known for the clarity of its nighttime reflection of the heavens above. Nagano Prefecture is one of Japan's premier onsen prefectures, home to legendary springs from Nozawa and Shiga to Bessho and Ueda, and Hoshikawa Onsen contributes to this thermal heritage with naturally heated geothermal waters drawn from the volcanic geology of the Japanese Alps. The spring's poetic name and its position within Nagano's celebrated mountain landscape give it a character rooted in the Japanese tradition of finding beauty in the intersection of natural water and natural sky — a tradition that extends from classical poetry to the art of thermal bathing in mountain rivers and outdoor baths.