Tengu & Honzawa Onsen (Yatsugatake)

Apr 24, 2023
2 min read

Updated: Jan 24

Tengudake 2640m from Honzawa Onsen is a relatively easy and stunning winter hike. The ridge to the peak has a bit of exposure and is steep, but overall this is a good hike to practice your crampons and axe skills. Honzawa is also famous for being Japan's highest outdoor onsen, and especially in winter, it's amazing to have a bath surrounded by snow. The hut is open year-round.

	
⏲︎	Time: 9-10h
✎	Kanji: 天狗岳
⚲ 	Location: Nagano
↔	Distance: 17km
✮	Difficulty: Intermediate
ᨒ	Elevation Gain: 1300m
☀	Overnight
☉	Snow: mid October 
	to end of June

Access

Car

Park at the small free parking lot right at the trailhead. If its full, continue down the road to Inagoyu Hotspring, which will have more parking (Pay inside; it's a couple 100¥). There is a trail through the forest to go up, so you don't have to walk along the road (~15min walk)

Public Transportation

You can take the bus from Koumi Station to Inagoyu Hospring bus stop.

Trail description

Day 1: 2:50h

From the trailhead, it takes approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes to reach Shirabisogoya through the forest. The hut is located near a small pond, is typically open in winter for snacks, and has a toilet. From Shirabisogoya, it takes around another 1 hour and 20 minutes to reach Honzawa Onsen.

Depending on conditions, you can continue to Tengudake or stay overnight and ascend the summit the following day. Weather in the Yatsugatake Mountains is often unstable, with sunny, calm days being rare. It is recommended to keep plans flexible and choose the day with the most favorable conditions.

Day 2: 6h

On the next day, continue from Honzawa Onsen to Tengudake. The roundtrip takes approximately 4 hours and 30 minutes. From the hut, there are two trail options. In winter take the left-hand route. The right-hand trail is shorter but is usually closed in winter due to avalanche risk.

On your return, stop for a final bath at the onsen. The outdoor onsen allows the use of a swimsuit; however, depending on the number of visitors, the bath may be shared with others, some of whom may be nude.

Alternatively, a gender seperated indoor bath is available. Times for each gender will be displayed on the outside. If you go as a dayhike, don't forget to pay the fee for the onsen inside the hut.