[Access] About 20 minutes by car from Tenryukyo IC on the Sanen Nanshin Expressway
[Website] Anan Onsen – Kajika no Yu (Japanese)
I occasionally visit Iida and Komagane in Nagano for hiking and sightseeing. On my way back, I often take the local roads south to Hamamatsu, stopping by roadside stations along the way. One of the hot springs I had always noticed but never visited was Anan Onsen – Kajika no Yu. I had been curious about it, but I usually preferred soaking in a hot spring closer to Hamamatsu.
This time, after my cycling trip, I decided to finally stop by and soothe my tired body.
Kajika no Yu is a large facility that includes a restaurant, lodging/camping area, and a pottery workshop. The first thing that surprised me when I entered the bath was the massive indoor bath, almost like a swimming pool. Even with a decent number of people inside, it still felt spacious and uncrowded. There’s also a nice open-air bath with a great view of the Kadobara Bridge, adding to the experience.
The water is a clear, alkaline simple hot spring with a pH of 10.2, making the skin feel smooth and silky. It’s also a radon hot spring, which is said to have additional health benefits. Interestingly, I found the smaller outdoor bath to have a stronger silky effect. At first, I noticed a slight scent that I thought was chlorine, but after checking the spring analysis, I saw that it actually contained a faint hydrogen sulfide smell – though the chlorine scent seemed to overpower it.
The facility also has a sauna, and I noticed a cold bath next to it. Later, I found out that this was actually a 31.8°C natural spring bath, using the source water directly. I regret not trying it!
They were selling delicious-looking dried persimmons, as well as freshly baked bread and juice made from local blueberries, so I ended up buying a few things. I heard that around June to July, you can hear the calls of Kajika frogs in this area. That makes me want to come back in the summer to enjoy the natural spring bath next time!
On this day, I cycled from the Michi-no-Eki in Toyama-go to Shimoguri-no-Sato and back. The weather was perfect, allowing me to enjoy breathtaking views. The snow-capped peaks of Mt. Hijiri, Mt. Usagi, and Mt. Kamikochi in the Southern Alps looked truly majestic. It rekindled my desire to someday traverse the Southern Alps.
Leisurely cycling through mountain paths inaccessible by car allowed me to enjoy breathtaking scenery and pick up some delicious local produce from unmanned farm stands.
As I was cycling through the Toyama-go area, I saw many hand-painted signs promoting the charm of the wooden school building. I had been curious about it for a while, and since I was cycling, I decided to stop by casually.
The wooden school building has been carefully preserved by the local people, and it seems that visitors can also borrow donated books. The place had a really nice atmosphere. Honestly, the signs were so persistent that I was a little skeptical at first, but I’m glad I stopped by – it turned out to be a wonderful spot!