Komanoyu Onsen Komanoyu Sanso

Komanoyu Sanso is a single secluded inn set deep beyond Oyu Onsen in Uonuma, Niigata, at the foot of Mount Echigo-Komagatake. Surrounded by primeval forest and the Sanashi River gorge, it is beloved as a lamp inn, where oil lamps are lit throughout the building and open-air baths after dark. Off the electrical grid, it has long served as a base for climbers of Echigo-Komagatake and for anglers.

The spring is an alkaline simple hot spring with a pH of 8.6, and the source temperature is a cool 33 degrees Celsius. Roughly 2,000 liters per minute gush forth, poured generously into the main baths as free-flowing spring water with no chlorination. The soft, smooth water is often likened to a lotion for the skin, best enjoyed by soaking slowly in its gentle warmth.

The inn offers two indoor baths, three open-air baths, and two private baths, with both mixed-gender and women-only tubs. Day-trip bathing costs 500 yen for adults and 250 yen for children, received from 8:00 to 16:00. Overnight stays start at 9,950 yen, with rustic mountain cuisine served around a hearth. The inn closes in winter due to heavy snow, operating from late April to early November.