Asama Onsen Menoyu Shizanro

Travel journal of dropping in at the hot spring

Characters

Nishi-san: He is an orthodox hot springs lover and particular about quality of springs. He loves the hot springs flowing from the source, the hot water with a presence, and the rustic atmosphere.

Kita-san: He doesn't care much about quality of hot springs. He loves an open-air bath, and prefers hot springs that have visible features such as good views.

(→ Continuation from Sakamotonoyu)
Nishi-san and Kita-san are visiting Asama Onsen, known as "Inner sanctum of Matsumoto." It's 3 p.m., and the drop-in onsen at Menoyu Ryokan is about to begin.

Exterior

This building also looks old. Asama Onsen has many long-established ryokans.

Exactly. Apparently it used to be quite lively.

Once you enter the entrance, you will find the lobby.

Lobby

Oh, it's quite stately, you know. All the wood is amber brown.

Look, the pillars are made of thick wood. Now days, I don't think something like this could be built anymore.

They walked down the hallway to go to the bathing room right away.

Hallway

Menoyu Ryokan has the "Large bath" and the "Small bath," which are alternated daily for men and women. Today's bath for men is the "Large." Looking from the undressing room, the indoor bath is on the right and the open-air bath is on the left. They've started with the indoor bath.

Bathing room

Wow, the room is so spacious! ...Or rather, isn't it unnecessarily spacious?

You can say that. Oh, well, but the size of the room doesn't matter as long as the water is nice.

Then, what about the water? ...Hmm, it's a little hot.

Indoor bathtub

And, there's a lot of yunohana. I doubt whether it's really a Simple hot spring.

I see. You're right, Lots of yunohana. It's not so bad.

First, sink into this water slowly and quietly, and then,

Then, let's go to the open-air bath.

They went to the open-air bath.

Open-air bath

Wow, it looks nice, you know.

It's quite elegant. ...Oh, there's a maple tree up there! They're starting to change color.

That's true! Hmm, it's been a little early for the autumn leaves.

It would be so beautiful when its leaves turn bright red in autumn.

After enjoying the hot spring to their heart's content, they came to the break room.

Break room

It has a Showa-era feel. It's retro, but with all the books and stuff, it's a bit cluttered, right?

Exactly, there's no sense of unity. But maybe, this lack of refinement adds to its charm.

The whole of Asama Onsen is like that. Even just in the area we walked through a while ago, it feels like old and new things are all mixed together.

You can say that again. Asama Onsen is surprisingly so deep.

And, I feel my hands become smooth. The water is really good.

Oh, it seems you're finally starting to make a sense the good points of Asama Onsen.

Nishi-san and Kita-san liked Asama Onsen so much, that they got made a decision to definitely visit there again the next time they come to Matsumoto.

(November 2025)

♨ Trams ran through Asama Onsen from 1924 to 1964. At its peak, there were apparently as many as 100 geishas in there.

Impression & rating

In addition to the excellent quality of the hot spring water which is rich in yunohana, the traditional, stately building creates a nostalgic atmosphere.

3.5 pt

Impression & rating

The bathing room is strangely spacious, so you won’t calm down. But the open-air bath at just the right temperature is nice.

2.5 pt

→ How to rate

The Onsen facility

Address: 1-37-5, Asama Onsen, Matsumoto City, Nagano Pref.
Phone: domestic: 0263-46-0255
international: +81-263-46-0255
Website: Menoyu ryokan Shizanro
Drop-in bathing hours: 15:00 - 20:00 (Last entry at 19:30)
Closed day: Saturdays and Sundays
Admission fee: Adults: ¥600 / Elementary and junior high school students: ¥300 / Preschoolers: free of charge
Baths: Gender-separated indoor bath, Gender-separated open-air bath
Menoyu Shizanro has the "Large bath" and the "Small bath", which are alternated between men and women on different days. [Mon. Wed. Fri.] men: Small / women: Large [Tue. Thu.] men: Large / women: Small
Facilities: No lockers in the undressing room. (There are clothes baskets.)

The hot spring data

(According to the hot spring analysis report etc.)

(Field examination date: Apr. 25, 2016)

Spring quality: Alkaline simple hot spring (Hypotonic Alkaline High temperature spring
Source: A mixture of No. 2 source, No. 4 source, Yamada source, Oshita source and Tohoku source
Collecting place: 3-670-3, Asama Onsen, Matsumoto City, Nagano Pref. (Water collected from the central hot spring bath tank)
Temperature: 50.2℃ (122.4℉)
[air temperature: 17℃ (62.6℉)]
Water volume: - L / min (Pumping after drilling)
pH value: 8.9
Total ingredients: 0.4456 g / kg
Perception: It is almost colorless and clear, with a slight sulfur taste.

Today's Sweets

Oshinko-mochi (Rice cake made from rice flour)

(Purchased at Miyajima souvenir shop)

Oshinko-mochi is a local sweet from Asama Onsen. It was once commonly eaten in Asama Onsen, but now Miyajima souvenir shop is the only place that sells it. The white smooth mochi, with its bean paste showing through, is adorned with a pink accent, making it quite elegant. It is said to be designed of a crane. The taste is just good. It seems to sell out so quickly, so it might be a good idea to head to Miyajima souvenir shop first when you arrive in Asama Onsen to get some.

(¥110) (→ Asama Onsen Ichiba website _ Miyajima souvenir shop)

The descriptions on this page contain personal opinions and are not necessarily objective facts.
The information may have changed at present. In particular, the admission fee and charge etc. has often not updated from the time of travel, so check the latest information on the official website.

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