Although Awa no Yu (泡の湯旅館) is located away from Shirahone Onsen‘s town center, it is the ryokan that represents hot spring town. In fact, the biggest onsen pool in Nagano Prefecture is found at Awa no Yu! The ryokan, which was opened in 1912, is known for its mixed-gender hot spring pool. But don’t worry. You can wrap yourself up with a thick towel for bathing. You are not expected to go in there naked.
If you have seen the Ghibli movie Spirited Away, you will get excited when you see how the hot spring fills the pool in the photo. Yes, it looks exactly the same as what was used in the anime, where the hot spring flows from long wooden box sections!
The Female Changeroom
To make it more comfortable for female guests to utilize the mix-gender onsen pool, more efforts have been put into constructing the female changeroom.
Firstly, the bath towels we have mentioned, which can be worn into the onsen pool, are placed in a basket in one corner. The specially made towels are made with materials that hardly absorb water. So, when you move around in the pool, it is less likely to fall off.
Secondly, you can go straight into the onsen pool from the changeroom. So by the time people in the mixed-gender pool see you, they can only see what you choose to leave above the water. Everything below the water is invisible to others, thanks to the hot spring’s milky color.
If you look carefully at the photo, the house at the far end of the onsen pool has a blue curtain attached. Beyond the curtain is the female changeroom.
The Other Hot Spring Pools in Awa no Yu
Obviously, if you aren’t comfortable bathing in the same pool with the opposite gender, there are gender-separated hot spring pools, open-air or indoor. Furthermore, if you want private bathing time, reserve one of the higher-grade guestrooms with a bathtub.
If you are comfortable with public bathing, we recommend at least getting into the larger indoor pool once. This is about how the hot spring is distributed throughout the ryokan. The larger indoor pool is the only place in the ryokan to enjoy the hot spring directly from the spring source. Because the spring’s temperature at the source is only around 38 degrees, all other pools in the ryokan have the hot spring heated up beforehand. This is why the color of the larger indoor pool is more transparent. Heating is another factor that makes the hot spring change color.
So if you want to benefit from the outstanding quality of fresh hot springs, stop by the indoor public bath. It is gender-separated.
In the onsen pool, you will discover why the ryokan was named “Awa no Yu”, which means bubbly bath. The spring that contains carbon dioxide gas will stick tightly to your body. No matter how many bubbles you poke, new ones will continue to form!
Awa no Yu’s Best Guestrooms
For our female friends, the best guestrooms in Awa no Yu are located on the 3rd floor of the new building. Not only is the interior design more elegant, but you can enjoy a variety of toiletries and use the cute Japanese-style bag to carry whatever you deem necessary to the public bathing pools.
On top of that, there are two sets of Yukata (a casual Kimono). One set is for you to wear inside the Ryokan, and the other is for sleeping.
To reserve, please head to their official website HERE. When you book, look for the options that say “Deluxe” or “Superior”. One of the photos attached to the option should be a set of clothing fabrics.
Making a Day Trip to Awa no Yu
If staying overnight at Awa no Yu isn’t what you want to do, you can also enjoy the hot spring during the day from 10:30 am to 2 pm (the last admission is at 1:30 pm). You just need to bring your towels unless you are happy to pay extras. Please be aware that the special towels for the mixed-gender pool won’t be free for day visitors either.
- The cost is
- 1,000 yen for junior high school students and above
- 600 yen for children of 3 years old to elementary school students
- A face towel costs 200 yen, and a bath towel costs 800 yen.
How to Get to Awa no Yu Ryokan
If you are taking Alpico’s bus, instead of getting off at Shirahone Onsen, please get off at Awanoyu (泡の湯).
Discovery Other Attractions in Shirahone Onsen
Shirahone Onsen is located at the foot of the northern Japanese Alps. With Kamikōchi at its north and Norikura Kōgen just a 20-minute drive away, the onsen town is well-known to the Japanese, but not many foreign travelers are aware of its existence. Apart from the hot spring facilities, the small town has a couple more tourist spots.
So, if you decide to include the hot spring town on your itinerary, refer to our Shirahone Onsen article to plan your visit!
