Hodakaso Yama no Hotel (Shin-Hotaka)
穂高荘 山のホテル
Area photo — not the ryokan itself · The Kamata River near Shinhotaka Onsen, Okuhida, Gifu · Tmv / CC BY 4.0
A big half-timbered mountain hotel run like an onsen inn: a tiny slope car down to a huge riverside mixed bath (bathing wraps required) facing Mt Yarigatake, all baths free-flowing, and Hida beef kaiseki that reviewers love — but most rooms are plain Western twins, and the building shows its age
Hodakaso Yama no Hotel bills itself as Okuhida's only 'Nordic-style mountain hotel': an 85-room, half-timbered lodge in Shin-Hotaka with a fireplace lounge, billiards and free coffee, and more Western rooms (49) than tatami ones (36). What it shares with a ryokan is the essentials — yukata everywhere, a served Hida beef kaiseki dinner and Japanese breakfast (no buffet), and lots of hot water. Every bath is free-flowing from the hotel's own well and a shared source, 4,000 litres a minute. The draw is Sankyō Yari no Yu across the road: a 33m slope car drops you to a riverbank mixed bath, among the largest in the area, facing Mt Yarigatake, plus a women-only pool and three paid private baths. Japanese guests rate it 4.3 across 1,331 reviews on one major site (baths 4.6, cleanliness 3.9) and 4.22 across 822 on another (dinner 4.34). Bloggers who stayed between March 2024 and September 2025 found the river baths empty, snow over a metre deep in February 2025, and praised the Hida beef shabu-shabu, nigiri and the hoba-miso breakfast. The 2026 reviews add generous portions, careful allergy handling and staff who went out of their way. The complaints: an ageing building (torn wallpaper, tired unit baths, a musty or ammonia smell, toilets that misbehave), central air conditioning that leaves rooms hot in autumn while stink bugs keep windows shut, slow dinner service, fish not fresh off the grill and an unpartitioned banquet hall, rocks underfoot in the dark mixed bath, and paying to rent the bathing wrap. Two-meal stays run about ¥18,000–28,000 per person.
Room Selection Guide
What the guests who stayed here actually recommendRecommended
Shikitei (四季亭) superior Japanese rooms in the South Wing, or the two Yarigatake-view special Japanese rooms
Shikitei rooms (12.5 + 2 tatami mats plus a window-side sitting area) are reached through their own entrance and corridor; a family upgraded there in October 2026 found the whole approach atmospheric, and a September 2026 family with a small child was given children's tableware. The two special rooms (10 + 6 mats, twin beds, sleeping up to five) face Mt Yarigatake. Shikitei is sold on a one-room-a-day 'Luxury' plan.
East Wing Yarigatake-view twins (25㎡) and Yarigatake-view Japanese rooms
The front side of the East Wing looks straight at Mt Yarigatake; reviewers in May and August 2026 were delighted to see it from their rooms, and a September 2026 guest found the twin larger than expected. Standard East Wing rooms on the mountain side look out on trees or a slope instead — a March 2026 guest's window faced a cliff. A blogger in February 2025 stayed in a 32㎡ Deluxe Twin in the South Wing.
Request To Avoid
Standard East Wing twins and anyone sensitive to heat, noise or wear
In-room bathrooms are small unit baths that the hotel confirms are not onsen; a March 2026 guest found theirs musty, another noted an ammonia smell and weak Wi-Fi, and a reviewer called the twins 'an extension of a business hotel'. Air conditioning is central, with only the fan speed adjustable: two October 2026 guests found their rooms too hot (one couldn't sleep), partly because staff ask you to keep windows shut against autumn stink bugs. Others mention creaking floors, a noisy air conditioner, a toilet that kept running and a bidet toilet that didn't work (October 2026).
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Dining Deep Dive
Breakfast Consensus
4.3/5A Japanese set breakfast with the house hoba-miso (home-made miso and wagyu grilled on a magnolia leaf), tofu finished at the table and an onsen egg, from 7:30 — consistently praised, though one January 2026 guest found the rice badly cooked
Go to the river baths early in the morning, when bloggers and reviewers had the mixed bath to themselves; a March 2026 reviewer warns of submerged rocks and a very hot inlet behind the central boulder, so watch your step after dark. A February 2026 reviewer found the wrap-style garment can shift and suggests bringing swim shorts or similar if that worries you. Until 16 November 2026, road works close the 'Yama no Hotel-mae' bus stop — get off at Nakao Kōgen-guchi, about 400m away, and call for a pickup. Public-transport guests can ride the free morning shuttle to the Shin-Hotaka Ropeway (8:45, 9:15, 9:45).
Dinner Insights
4.3/5Okuhida kaiseki served in the Japanese-style Suzuya or lodge-style Eclage restaurant (or a banquet hall at busy times), starting between 18:00 and 19:00 in 30-minute slots; the hotel is a designated Hida beef restaurant and plans let you choose the main — sukiyaki, shabu-shabu or steak, often with Hida beef nigiri and a sansai kamameshi rice pot. Bloggers in 2024–2025 and 2026 reviewers describe more than they could finish, grilled river fish and dishes timed to their pace, with wines picked by the junior okami, a qualified sommelier. Critics in 2026 wanted the grilled fish fresher off the grill, slow service with a listed dish arriving after dessert, an unpartitioned banquet hall, and a repeat guest was moved to a more 'set-meal' style in the entrance-side restaurant.
Onsen & Wellness Realities
Simple spring and bicarbonate spring (単純温泉・炭酸水素塩泉) from the hotel's own well and one shared source, 4,000 litres a minute at about 44.9°C and 61.6°C. The hotel says every bath is free-flowing (かけ流し); because the water is so hot, it is cooled with mountain stream water.
Inside the hotel, Sankyō Jurin no Yu has separate men's and women's indoor and outdoor baths with a sauna each (baths 15:00–9:30, saunas 15:00–22:00). Across the road, reached by the 33m 'Yumeguri Tetsudō' slope car, Sankyō Yari no Yu has the big riverside mixed bath (bathing wraps compulsory, rented at the front desk for ¥200–300), a women-only open-air bath for about 30 people, and three private open-air baths at ¥1,000 plus tax for 30 minutes, first come first served at check-in (15:00–21:30, 6:30–9:30); the river baths have no washing area and the slope car occasionally stops for inspection. Reviewers love the view and the space, but in 2026 some found the women's open-air bath too hot, the mixed bath dark and rocky at night, and the wrap spoiling the onsen feel. There is also a footbath and a summer onsen pool (May–September). No day visitors.
No policy found on the official site or Japanese booking sites — contact the inn. Three private open-air baths can be rented.
Local Warnings & Nuances
- 01
Check-in 15:00 (by 18:00 if you're having dinner, otherwise by 21:00), check-out 10:00 (11:00 on some plans). Bathing tax is ¥150 per adult, plus Takayama's accommodation tax of ¥100–300 per night.
- 02
Cancellation for individual bookings: 50% from 3 days before, 80% the day before, 100% on the day or no-show.
- 03
This is a large, hotel-style property with banquet halls that takes tour groups; one 2026 reviewer advises timing your bath to avoid groups, while others found the baths almost empty.
- 04
There's no convenience store within about 40 minutes' drive and no late-night food beyond cup noodles at the shop; winter tyres or chains are required from about November to April, when snow can lie over a metre deep.
- 05
Children are welcome with children's meals (¥4,000 dinner, booked a day ahead) and child yukata, but there are no baby cots or baby food, and the rooms and indoor baths are not fully barrier-free.
Before your stay
Souvenirs from Okuhida Onsen and practical help for your trip.
Okuhida Onsen souvenirs on Rakuten
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Sources
The real blog posts and stay reports this article draws on
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Photo credits: The Kamata River near Shinhotaka Onsen, Okuhida, Gifu · Tmv / CC BY 4.0 / Nakanobō Zuien — the entrance and main building, Arima Onsen · Abasaa / Public domain
Hodakaso Yama no Hotel (Shin-Hotaka)
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