I stopped by here on my first traverse of the Hakuba Three Peaks. It was a shame the peaks were shrouded in fog, but that gave me a chance to relax in the hot springs instead. I’ll be back for another try.

I’m Kotaro Kato from Tokyo, who stayed there on August 13. The meals—both dinner and breakfast—at Yari Onsen Cabin were wonderful, and the hot springs, which I was especially looking forward to, exceeded my expectations. I bathed twice—once after checking in on the 13th and once that evening—and once early in the morning on the 14th. I firmly believe that the Yari Onsen Cabin is the perfect finale to any Hakuba hiking route, and I would definitely recommend it to my friends. On August 12, I took the first Shinkansen from Omiya and arrived in Nagano. I took the first limited-express bus from Nagano to the Hakuba Happo Bus Terminal, then arrived at Sarukura at 10:00 a.m. via a pre-booked taxi. I reached Hakubajiri around 10:55 a.m., put on my crampons, and began climbing the Great Snowfield. It started raining around 1:30 p.m., just after I finished crossing the Great Snowfield, I reached the emergency shelter at 3:30 p.m. Immediately after passing the shelter, I lost sight of the Green Line to the right. I briefly took a wrong turn behind the shelter but quickly realized my mistake, returned to the shelter, and rejoined the correct route around 3:45 p.m., arriving at the summit lodge at 4:55 p.m. We spent the night there on the first day. 　On the 13th, we were blessed with clear skies from the morning. After a round trip to Mt. Hakuba with only a light daypack, we left the lodge around 8:30 a.m., enjoyed the spectacular views of the Northern Alps, and arrived at Yari Onsen at 3:30 p.m. via the Mt. Shakushi and Mt. Yari routes. After spending the night and soaking in the hot springs, on the 14th, following a brief morning shower, we left the Yarigatake Onsen Hut at 6:30 a.m. We gazed up at the majestic Yarigatake along the way and, after a long descent, arrived at Sarukura at 10:05 a.m. We split into taxis and took the limited-express bus departing Hakuba Happo at 11:10 a.m., arriving in Nagano at 12:30 p.m. After touring the city a bit and having lunch, we returned home safely via the Shinkansen. 　The main attraction of Yari Onsen is, without a doubt, the baths; given that the location requires the facility to be dismantled and rebuilt every year, I imagine the site is quite challenging. Mt. Hakuba can be described as a “golden course” for general hikers in the Northern Alps, featuring snowfields, flower meadows, and a summit climb on the main peak that isn’t particularly dangerous. Yari Onsen can be described as a mountain-top oasis that serves as the grand finale to this journey.

Although the rooms and restrooms have the feel of a traditional mountain cabin, the bath and the hospitality are outstanding. This was my first visit, and I really liked it.

I stayed here on the first day of our hike up the Hakuba Three Mountains with my 8-year-old son. They accommodated my request for the top bunk of the bunk bed, and my son was thrilled. I was able to enjoy the hot spring, but it was too hot for my son. I wish we could have adjusted the temperature ourselves. Still, he seemed to enjoy just dipping his feet in. Watching the Milky Way and shooting stars while soaking in the hot spring became a cherished memory for both of us. Thank you for the delicious Hayashi rice. It was so good that I ended up having too many seconds. The bento box was also absolutely delicious.

Thank you very much. I just wanted to say how grateful I am that it was such a wonderful trip. I was thrilled to visit the hot springs I’d always wanted to see, and to experience the extraordinary feeling of greeting the sunrise.

The bath was amazing.

When you look up from below, the cabin appears to be perched on a cliff, making it clear just how harsh the environment is. I am also deeply grateful for the meticulous work that went into maintaining the trail—including tree clearing, bamboo thicket clearing, bridge construction, and blocking off animal trails to prevent straying—and for the tremendous effort that went into it. I made it back down safely. Thank you very much.

I came here after touring the Hakuba Three Peaks with the goal of watching the sunrise while soaking in a hot spring. I arrived as early as possible so I could choose my breakfast time, but I was told that seating is assigned on a first-come, first-served basis and cannot be changed—the only available time was 5:00 a.m., right at sunrise, and I couldn’t change it. I’ve stayed at various mountain huts in the Northern Alps, but this was the first time I’d encountered a situation where I couldn’t choose my breakfast time even though I arrived early, so I was taken aback. I explained the reason and asked—on the off chance—if I could switch to a packed lunch instead (though I was aware from the notes at the time of booking that changes weren’t allowed). They seemed annoyed by the request, so I asked if they could just cancel the breakfast while keeping the price the same. They then agreed to switch it to a packed lunch (for which I am grateful). I apologize for causing any inconvenience given the various constraints of running a mountain hut, but if meal times cannot be changed based on arrival order, I wish that had been clearly stated in the notes. Had I known, I would have either opted for a breakfast bento from the start or planned a more leisurely itinerary. The hot springs were wonderful, so I feel this mountain hut would be even better if it provided information and systems to help people visiting specifically for that purpose plan their itineraries more easily. I’ve now learned that some mountain huts have rules like this, so I’ll be more careful in the future.

The reservation system was easy to use, even when making changes. I think it’s a good system because it will likely reduce the number of people who just make a reservation on a whim. The staff at the front desk were very polite, cheerful, and made me feel welcome. Since we arrived early, we were shown to a section divided into two separate areas. It was nice to have our privacy maintained. The women-only hot spring was more spacious than I expected; I think about four people could comfortably fit inside. It takes some courage for a woman to enter the mixed-gender bath alone, but I think it’s manageable if you go with a group. The mixed-gender bath becomes women-only for one hour starting at 8:00 PM, but the wait until then felt long. Since it gets dark around that time, I suppose it can’t be helped. It would have been nice if the restrooms had been separated by gender. I enjoyed evening, nighttime, and morning soaks in the sulfur-scented hot springs in the mountains—it was a very satisfying mountain trip spent doing nothing but soaking in the hot springs.