{"id":3161,"date":"2021-12-11T23:59:00","date_gmt":"2021-12-11T14:59:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/onsen.thmiyake.com\/?p=3161"},"modified":"2026-04-13T22:07:52","modified_gmt":"2026-04-13T13:07:52","slug":"ryokami-onsen-yakushi-no-yu","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/onsen.thmiyake.com\/en\/2021\/12\/11\/ryokami-onsen-yakushi-no-yu\/","title":{"rendered":"Ryokami Onsen – Yakushi-no-Yu"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

[Access]<\/strong> About 1 hour by car from Hanazono IC
[Webpage]<\/strong> Road station, Ryokami Onsen, Yaukushi-no-Yu<\/a> (Japanese)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today\u2019s main event was a challenging day hike up Mt. Ryokami. The snow on the trail required light crampons, and with the significant elevation gain, especially the strain on my knees on the descent, I was completely exhausted. All I wanted was to soak in a hot spring, so I stopped by Ryokami Onsen Yakushi-no-Yu, conveniently located next to a roadside station.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u5c0f\u9e7f\u91ce\u753a\u89b3\u5149\u5354\u4f1a\uff08http:\/\/www.kanko-ogano.jp\/spa\/#spa\uff09\u3088\u308a<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
Ryokami Onsen Yakushi-no-Yu<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

One of my favorite things about roadside stations in the countryside is that they often sell a variety of local goods, but it\u2019s rare to find one with an onsen attached. Ryokami Onsen Yakushi-no-Yu is an impressive facility, with a large rest area and a dining hall. The onsen water, with a pH of 9.1, is an alkaline spring that leaves your skin feeling smooth. Unfortunately, the strong smell of chlorine was overwhelming, so it wasn\u2019t the most relaxing experience. Although I understand it might be necessary for hygiene, it was a bit disappointing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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From Hinata-Oya to Ryokami Shrine<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The hike up Mt. Ryokami from Hinata-Oya doesn\u2019t offer many open views, but there are interesting spots along the way, like sections with chains, clear mountain streams, and Koubou\u2019s Spring with its fresh-tasting water. Reaching the red torii gate of Ryokami Shrine, deep in the mountains, was striking – I was taken aback by how isolated it felt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Wolf statue by the torii gate<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Next to the red torii stands a stone wolf statue, rather than the usual guardian lion-dogs. Ryokami Shrine venerates the Japanese wolf (yamainu) as a deity, which is quite unique. There\u2019s another wolf statue further in, and I couldn\u2019t resist taking a closer look.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Stunning views from Mt. Ryokami\u2019s Summit<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Reaching the summit of Mt. Ryokami was particularly satisfying after the strenuous climb. Thanks to the crisp winter air, I could clearly see the deep ridges of the mountain like lines in a well-defined silhouette. I was even treated to a view of Mt. Fuji in the distance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Satomiya of Ryokami Shrine<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Ryokami Shrine consists of three parts: the Oku-miya (summit shrine), the main shrine with the wolf statue, and the Satomiya shrine, located below Ryokami Lodge. I didn\u2019t notice Satomiya on my way up, but I stopped by after descending. Known as Youkami Shrine, it had an atmosphere that was quietly enchanting.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Today\u2019s main plan was a challenging day hike up Mt. Ryokami. With snow on the trail, I had to use light crampons, and the significant elevation change – especially the strain on my legs during the descent – left me with wobbly knees and thoroughly exhausted. Honestly, I was ready to soak in any hot spring I could find, so I stopped by Ryokami Onsen Yakushi-no-Yu, conveniently located next to a roadside station.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2412,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_locale":"en_US","_original_post":"https:\/\/onsen.thmiyake.com\/?p=2411","footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3161","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-kanto","en-US"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_wp_geo_latitude":"36.0051408","_wp_geo_longitude":"138.9713756","_wp_geo_map_settings":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/onsen.thmiyake.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3161","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/onsen.thmiyake.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/onsen.thmiyake.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/onsen.thmiyake.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/onsen.thmiyake.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3161"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/onsen.thmiyake.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3161\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3165,"href":"https:\/\/onsen.thmiyake.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3161\/revisions\/3165"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/onsen.thmiyake.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2412"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/onsen.thmiyake.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3161"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/onsen.thmiyake.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3161"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/onsen.thmiyake.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3161"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}