The bath was so hot I couldn’t stay in for even a minute. It would be nice to have a small tub where I could add cold water. It would also be nice to have a drying room. It’s impossible to dry clothes outdoors when it rains. It’s a shame that, even though there’s plenty of empty room (space), they’re crammed together side by side. Even if emergency guests are part of a group, shouldn’t they be spread out?

The hot springs were wonderful. It was a shame that dinner had gone cold.

The hot spring was a little too hot, but it was fantastic. I should have opted for the morning bento so I could welcome the sunrise with a morning bath. I’d like the lodge to adjust the sunrise time and breakfast time accordingly. Even though there were empty beds, five of us were crammed into a room meant for five people. If there were empty beds, I wish they had made the necessary adjustments.

The mixed-gender outdoor bath is visible from everywhere—is that really okay? If I were to go in myself, I’d hesitate. I think a swimsuit is necessary, but it’s a hassle to carry around. It’s awkward to enter naked when there are people in swimsuits already in the water. The indoor bath, on the other hand, was comfortable. The water felt silky smooth and pleasant. Being enclosed allowed me to enjoy some privacy. It was a big help that the baths were open after dark and early in the morning. The futons in the room were neatly laid out, but since there were no partitions, it would have been nice to have some sort of privacy screen. Thanks to the indoor bath, I was able to change there, which was a big help. I bought some tea, and since I could pay with PayPay, the transaction went smoothly. It was great that I could get seconds at dinner. The clear signage regarding trail conditions and hazardous areas was excellent. Since there was little information available and the area was hard to navigate, combining this with the advice I’d received from the hiking consultant at Hakuba Sanso made everything much easier to understand. The signs warning of rockfalls and hazardous trail sections were a big help. I’d like to visit again during the Chinguruma season. Thank you very much.

In the first-floor room behind the shoe racks in Building 1—I understand that the sounds of people coming and going are unavoidable, but could you please put up some curtains? You can see right inside from outside. I know you rebuild the shed every year, but even just threading a string through and hanging some fabric would be fine—please do this.

It was great being able to soak in the hot springs whenever I wanted ^_^

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.