I Looked Into Hirao Onsen Miharashi no Yu
2026-09-10
I've been keeping up this series where I look into day-trip hot springs from a no-car perspective, and honestly I've lost track of how many places I've covered by now.
This time I looked into "Hirao Onsen Miharashi no Yu." I started researching it because the name caught my attention with the word "Karuizawa," but it actually seems to be a facility located on the Saku City side, so I decided to sort through the access details along with everything else, since that part interested me too.
This facility seems to get its name "Miharashi" (meaning "viewing spot") from its outdoor bath with a view of Mount Tateshina and the Yatsugatake mountain range.
The Rakuten Mobile signal conditions came back as a C rating, which isn't exactly great.
I've put together the details below.
The Outdoor Bath With a View That Gave This Place Its Name
The "Miharashi" in the facility's name apparently comes from the fact that you can see Mount Tateshina and the Yatsugatake mountain range in full view from the outdoor bath. It's rare to find a day-trip hot spring where you can take in that much of a mountain view from an outdoor bath, and honestly, this made me want to actually soak in that tub myself.
The building is apparently divided into areas like "relax," "eat," and "train," so on top of the bathing facilities, the hot stone bath (a thermal wellness facility), and body care services, there's also a dining area, a training gym, and even a forest therapy room. It sounds less like a simple day-trip hot spring and more like a complex designed for spending a whole leisurely day.
Just the phrase "forest therapy room" is enough to catch my attention. Even as someone who's more of an indoor type, I can't help being drawn in when I hear there's a quiet spot like that to spend time in.
What I Found Out About Hours, Pricing, and Access
The operating hours seem to shift slightly depending on the day of the week. The main bath area runs from 11:00 AM to 9:00 PM on weekdays (last entry at 8:30 PM), and from 10:00 AM to 10:00 PM on weekends and holidays (last entry at 9:30 PM), apparently. According to the official website, the hot stone bath (thermal wellness facility) runs from 11:00 AM to 8:30 PM on weekdays and 10:00 AM to 9:30 PM on weekends and holidays. Closed days seem to be irregular, and it looks like you're supposed to check the operating calendar on the official website each time, so it's probably worth checking before heading over.
Here's the pricing info listed on the official website:
- Bathing fee (adults / junior high age and up): 800 yen
- Bathing fee (children / elementary school age): 400 yen
- Bathing fee (ages 4 to preschool): 100 yen, free for ages 3 and under
- Discount ticket book (adults, 10 uses): 6,500 yen
- Hot stone bath: 600 yen (bathing fee required separately), discount ticket book: 4,800 yen (10 uses)
As for reservations, it looks like there's a system for purchasing tickets online in advance through the official website, but it seems like you might also be able to use the day-trip bathing service without a reservation. That said, I couldn't confirm this clearly in writing anywhere, so if you're curious, it's probably best to call ahead and check directly.
There was one thing about access that bothered me a bit. I started looking into this after coming across information about a free shuttle bus running from Karuizawa Station, but as far as I could confirm on the official website this time, I couldn't find any mention of such a shuttle bus. I also tried searching for third-party information, but I couldn't find anything to back it up, so I think it's best to treat the existence of a shuttle bus as "unconfirmed" for now. Location-wise, the facility is on the Saku City side, so if you're coming by bullet train, Sakudaira Station could be an option, but I couldn't find specific route guidance on the official website. If you're planning to get there without a car, it might be safer to contact the facility directly beforehand.
Rakuten Mobile Signal Conditions
When I checked this facility's location using the official "My Area Connectivity Simulation" tool, the overall rating came back as "C."
If you think you'll need to use your phone's data connection while you're there, it might be worth checking in advance. This is just the result from the official tool, so the actual situation inside the building could differ somewhat, but it should still be useful as a rough guide.
Hearing a C rating makes me brace myself a little, but I figure properly noting down results like this is part of what this blog is here to do.
