Shin-Hotaka Onsen
新穂高温泉36°16′ N 137°34′ EOnsen townGifu and Hida
Shin-Hotaka Onsen suits people who want the Northern Alps outside the window and riverside baths at the foot of the Shin-Hotaka Ropeway. The trade-off is the long bus ride, about 1 hour 30 minutes from Takayama, and the riverside bath at Shin-Hotaka no Yu shuts for the winter.
Photo Raita Futo from Tokyo, Japan · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.0 and others, credited in the gallery
Who should base here
Stay in Shin-Hotaka to ride the first ropeway of the day and end it in a riverside rotenburo at your inn.
Things to do in Shin-Hotaka Onsen
Shin-Hotaka is the end of the road in Okuhida, where the Kamata River runs below the peaks of the Hotaka range. The Shin-Hotaka Ropeway climbs in two stages to a viewing deck at 2,156 m, and its second car is a double-decker gondola, which is the only one in Japan. Nohi's buses from Takayama end at the ropeway about once an hour, for ¥2,200.
Shin-Hotaka no Yu is a riverside pool and the only mixed bath among Okuhida's day baths. Since July 2025 everyone has had to wear a swimsuit or a yuami-gi bathing wrap, and in 2026 it opens only from 18 April to 30 October. Nakazaki Sanso Okuhida no Yu sits a short walk from the ropeway and opens 9:00 to 18:00 for ¥1,000, and Higaku no Yu in Nakao charges ¥950 from late April to mid-December.
Takayama City is trialling web reservations and fees at Shin-Hotaka's third car park, so read the Okuhida tourism association's notice before you drive up. The ropeway plans a maintenance stop from 24 to 27 November 2026.
Worth knowing
- Buy a yuami-gi for Shin-Hotaka no Yu at Higaku no Yu or Nakazaki Sanso for ¥350.
- Check the ropeway's page before a late-November trip; it plans to stop for maintenance from 24 to 27 November 2026.
Quick answers about Shin-Hotaka Onsenよくある質問
Is Shin-Hotaka no Yu open in winter?
No. It closes from 31 October to late April, and in 2026 it opens from 18 April to 30 October, 8:00 to 18:00.
Do you need a swimsuit at Shin-Hotaka no Yu?
Yes. Since July 2025 bathers must wear a swimsuit or a yuami-gi wrap, which Higaku no Yu and Nakazaki Sanso sell for ¥350.
Is Shin-Hotaka Onsen a good place to stay?
Stay in Shin-Hotaka to ride the first ropeway of the day and end it in a riverside rotenburo at your inn.
Within 12 km
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