Minakami Onsen
Open by month
Open in January. No seasonal closure recorded. New Year (Dec 29 – Jan 3): open.
Open in February. No seasonal closure recorded.
Open in March. No seasonal closure recorded.
Open in April. No seasonal closure recorded.
Open in May. No seasonal closure recorded.
Open in June. No seasonal closure recorded.
Open in July. No seasonal closure recorded.
Open in August. No seasonal closure recorded.
Open in September. No seasonal closure recorded.
Open in October — at its best. Autumn leaves mid to late October; rafting in spring snowmelt.
Open in November. No seasonal closure recorded.
Open in December. No seasonal closure recorded. New Year (Dec 29 – Jan 3): open.
Checked against the official site on 2026-10-12.
The main spa town of Minakami along the Tone River gorge, with inns, souvenir shops and day-trip baths; a base for rafting and Mt. Tanigawa.
Nearby
- Doai Station ≈ 20 min by car
- Mount Tanigawa & Tanigawadake Ropeway ≈ 25 min by car
- Ichinokurasawa ≈ 25 min by car
- Takaragawa Onsen ≈ 30 min by car
- Hoshi Onsen (Chojukan) ≈ 35 min by car
Travel times are rough estimates by car.
- Best time
- October — Autumn leaves mid to late October; rafting in spring snowmelt
- Getting there
- JR Minakami Sta. (Joetsu Line); Jomo-Kogen Sta. on the Joetsu Shinkansen is the nearest Shinkansen stop
- Fee
- Free to walk around (day-trip baths charge)
- Good to know
- Minakami town has many other spas, such as Takaragawa and Hoshi, reached by local bus
- Time needed
- 4 h
Checked against the official Japanese website on 2026-10-12. Report outdated info