Overview
Stay at Miyama Ouan in Hirayu, one of the five hot spring villages of Okuhida Onsen. Surrounded by the Northern Alps, this mountain ryokan brings together natural wood, bold Hida-style timberwork, regional cuisine, and an impressive choice of hot spring baths.
You can spend the day exploring Kamikochi, riding the Shin-Hotaka Ropeway, or walking around Hirayu Onsen before returning for a charcoal-grilled Hida beef dinner. In the evening, soak beneath the stars, choose one of four private baths, or settle into your room with views of Okuhida’s changing landscape.
Several room categories were renewed during 2025, including the Japanese-Western rooms and the detached Himekomatsu no Sho suites. These updates preserve the warmth of Hida woodwork while creating brighter spaces for bathing and relaxing.
Accommodation
Miyama Ouan has 72 non-smoking rooms divided between detached suites, Japanese-Western rooms, and compact Western rooms. Natural wood, exposed beams, low furniture, and warm lighting give each space a strong connection to the traditional houses of Hida.
The detached Himekomatsu no Sho suites were renewed in December 2025. Each 51-square-metre suite features high ceilings, substantial wooden beams, a spacious living area, and furniture made by the Hida Takayama brand Kashiwamokko. You can soak in a private free-flowing open-air hot spring bath or relax in the adjoining hot spring footbath while looking across the Okuhida scenery. The suites have two or three Western beds, with futon bedding added in selected layouts.
The 45-square-metre Japanese-Western rooms were renewed in March 2025. Each room combines a wood-lined living space with Western beds and a large window beside a Shigaraki pottery bath. You can choose a room with a private natural hot spring bath or a room where the bath uses heated regular water. Some layouts have two beds, while others provide three beds and additional sleeping space.
A separate 46-square-metre Japanese-Western Twin Room divides the space into a Western living room, a tatami room, and a twin bedroom. Its large-windowed Shigaraki pottery bath uses heated regular water rather than hot spring water.
The 20-square-metre Western rooms provide a simpler option for a short stay. You can choose a twin room with two Simmons beds or a double room with one wider bed. An accessible twin room includes a wheelchair-friendly toilet and unit bath, while the double layout has a private shower booth.
Your room includes individually controlled heating and air conditioning, a television, refrigerator, kettle, Japanese tea set, washlet toilet, hairdryer, towels, bath products, and samue loungewear. You can also borrow an iron or humidifier when available.
Dining
Dinner is served at Miyamazakura, where large windows look toward the surrounding mountains and natural wood continues the ryokan’s Hida-inspired design. You sit around an irori-style table and enjoy a seasonal Japanese kaiseki meal centred on carefully selected Hida beef.
The main dish features Hida beef grilled over binchotan charcoal. The charcoal removes excess fat while bringing out the meat’s fine marbling and gentle sweetness. Miyama Ouan is certified by the Hida Beef Brand Promotion Council, and the beef is selected and prepared by an experienced meat specialist.
Seasonal vegetables, mountain ingredients, and regional dishes accompany the beef, while local Hida sake offers a natural pairing with the meal. Dinner normally has two sittings, beginning at 5:30 PM and 8:00 PM, with your preferred time selected at check-in according to availability.
Breakfast is a Japanese set meal built around hoba miso, a traditional Hida dish served on a magnolia leaf. Warm rice, miso soup, and dishes made with local ingredients give you a satisfying start before a day in the mountains. You can choose rice porridge instead of white rice. Breakfast is served from 7:00 AM to 10:00 AM, with final orders at 9:00 AM.
A low-allergen menu covering the 28 specified allergens can be arranged when requested at least two days before arrival. Meals are served in the restaurant rather than inside your room.
Onsen and Wellness
Takumi no Yu gives you separate shared bathing areas with indoor baths, open-air baths, and dry saunas. From the open-air bath, you can look toward Mount Kasagatake and the surrounding Northern Alps. Clear nights may bring broad views of the stars above the mountains.
The cypress-scented indoor area includes a large bath, a reclining bath, and a deeper bath. The indoor and outdoor areas use different hot spring sources, allowing you to experience changes in the water and bathing atmosphere without leaving the main bathhouse.
The shared baths open from 3:00 PM to 1:00 AM and again from 5:00 AM to 10:00 AM. The dry saunas follow the same schedule and close during the overnight cleaning period.
You also have access to four private hot spring baths. Takeniwa no Yu and Sekisho no Yu are open-air stone baths, while Hanagoyomi no Yu and Muso no Yu are indoor baths surrounded by wood. No advance reservation is required. You can use any bath when its entrance display shows that it is available. The private baths remain open from 11:00 AM until 10:00 AM the following morning, apart from a short cleaning period.
The private baths do not have showers or washing areas, so they are intended for soaking only. You can wash in your room or the shared bathhouse before entering.
The hot spring combines water from six sources and is classified as a simple spring. The water reaches the property at approximately 42.2°C and is heated when needed to maintain a suitable bathing temperature. It flows through the baths at around 50 litres per minute without reuse.
Bathing in the water is associated with relief from fatigue, muscle and joint pain, stiff shoulders, sensitivity to cold, bruises, and sprains. It is also linked with support for minor cuts, burns, and some long-term skin conditions.
Guests with Tattoos
You cannot use the shared indoor baths, open-air baths, or saunas if you have tattoos.
You can use all four private hot spring baths. You can also bathe privately in your room when you reserve a detached Himekomatsu no Sho suite or a Japanese-Western room specifically marked as having a private hot spring bath.
Facilities
Miyama Ouan includes the Miyamazakura restaurant, the Ippuku Chaya lounge, a shop selling regional sweets and original products, drinks vending machines, a bathhouse lounge, and free Wi-Fi throughout the property. The Yamawarai lounge serves coffee, tea, soft drinks, wine, beer, and highballs during set hours, while the outdoor Sakura no Komichi terrace has a firepit that operates when the weather allows.
After bathing, you can rest in the lounge with milk or an ice treat during the afternoon and evening. A fermented milk drink is available in the morning. Elevators, an accessible room, wheelchair-accessible toilets, and wheelchairs are also available, although the detached suites require the use of steps. Every room is non-smoking, and a separate indoor smoking room is provided.
Activities
Use Hirayu as your starting point for exploring the Northern Alps. Buses from Hirayu Onsen connect with Kamikochi, where you can follow riverside paths beneath the mountain peaks during its spring-to-autumn season. Private vehicles cannot enter Kamikochi, making the nearby bus connection especially useful.
The Shin-Hotaka Ropeway takes you high above Okuhida in Japan’s only double-decker gondola. At the upper station, more than 2,000 metres above sea level, you can enjoy wide views across the Northern Alps. The scenery changes from fresh spring growth and cool summer greenery to autumn colour and deep winter snow.
Closer to Hirayu, you can visit Hirayu Waterfall or explore the Hirayu Folk Museum, where relocated traditional houses introduce you to the architecture and daily life of the region. You can also walk around the hot spring village, try local food, or visit nearby day-use baths.
Takayama is around one hour away by bus, giving you access to its old merchant streets, morning markets, sake breweries, and traditional craft shops. During winter, the mountain setting also places you within reach of snowy landscapes and seasonal outdoor experiences across Okuhida.
Additional Features
Check-in begins at 3:00 PM, and check-out is by 11:00 AM. Free luggage storage is available before check-in and after departure, and the front desk operates throughout the night.
A shuttle connects Miyama Ouan with the Hirayu Onsen bus terminal. Scheduled departures run from the ryokan during the morning, while afternoon collection is arranged after you reach the terminal. The property is also around seven minutes away on foot.
Your stay includes coffee service, seasonal sake, a choice of colourful yukata, a bathing basket with towels, after-bath refreshments, and complimentary late-night ramen. Yonaki Soba is normally served from 10:00 PM to 11:00 PM while supplies last.
Free outdoor parking is available. From November to April, you need winter tyres or suitable snow chains because snow and ice regularly affect the mountain roads.
