[Access] About 10 mins by car from Matsudai Station (Hokuhoku Line)
[Fee] 400 yen

I traveled to Niigata to see the Echigo-Tsumari Art Field and to visit Matsunoyama Onsen. Since the town is one of the areas showcasing various artworks for the festival, you’re greeted by these quirky signs and stylish hot spring markers. But as you can see in the last photo, it’s actually a very cozy and compact little onsen town.

In Matsunoyama Onsen, there’s a public bath called Taka-no-yu. The driver of the shared taxi who showed me around the art festival told me it was a great place to visit. When you step into the bathroom, the air is filled with a truly mysterious scent—a mix of oil and smoke. The water looks green, but it seems that’s just because the slightly brownish water is flowing over a blue-tiled tub.
There’s a sign warning that the source is 85°C and to be careful, and indeed, the water is a bit on the hot side. When I took a little taste, it was intensely salty—just like seawater—and left a petroleum-like scent in my mouth afterward. Maybe because of the salt, the water feels quite ‘squeaky’ on the skin. They say it’s one of Japan’s three major medicinal baths, and it definitely feels like a potent, ‘thick’ hot spring. The water quality is a Sodium-Calcium Chloride spring.

This onsen town isn’t run-down at all; it has a wonderful sense of calm that I personally really liked. You’ll find footbaths casually placed in spots mostly used by locals, and they hold morning markets, so I’m sure it gets quite lively depending on the time. At the end of the town, there’s a vent for the hot spring source, puffing out thick clouds of steam.
At Taka-no-yu, the locals started a conversation asking where I was from and went on to explain all the great benefits of the water here. They mentioned there’s a self-catering inn nearby and recommended staying for a while to do a proper ‘Toji’ (healing bath stay). I’d love to try that if I could (lol). They seemed to have visited many hot springs in the area, but it was lovely to see them talking so proudly about how this one was their absolute favorite.