Overview

Wake to Mount Ontake rising beyond the fields and forests of Kaida Kogen at Tsutaya Toki no Yado Kazari. This 20-room ryokan places you in the open countryside of Kiso, where cool highland air, wide skies, and changing mountain scenery encourage you to leave busy routines behind.

Every room looks toward Mount Ontake, so the landscape remains part of your stay from morning until night. You can enjoy seasonal Japanese cuisine, soak in natural hot spring water, carry a drink into the garden, or step outside after dark for some of the clearest stargazing in the area.

Accommodation

Choose from traditional Japanese rooms, Japanese-Western rooms, rooms with twin beds, private open-air bath rooms, and spacious Spa Terrace rooms. Tatami, low furniture, warm wood, and wide windows keep you connected to the highland setting, while selected rooms add Simmons beds for familiar sleeping comfort.

The 60-square-metre Spa Terrace Special Room combines a Japanese room, twin bedroom, and sunroom with a 50-square-metre private terrace. Outside, you have your own wood-fired tent sauna, cold plunge filled with source water, and natural hot spring open-air bath. You can also spend time beside the fire, prepare fire-roasted snacks, or enjoy coffee outdoors while looking toward Mount Ontake.

The 40-square-metre Spa Terrace Twin has a 30-square-metre terrace with a tent sauna and a source-water plunge bath. You can heat the plunge bath when you prefer a warm private soak. Both Spa Terrace categories include drinks in the refrigerator, sauna ponchos, herbs for löyly, and other extras designed for time outdoors.

You can also choose a Japanese-Western room, Japanese room, or bed-style Japanese room with a private open-air bath on the balcony. These baths use heated regular water rather than natural hot spring water, but they still give you the freedom to bathe beneath the sky in complete privacy.

Standard Japanese rooms let you relax on tatami and sleep on futons, while Japanese-Western rooms combine floor-level living with twin beds. Whichever layout you choose, you can enjoy Mount Ontake and the colours of Kaida Kogen from your room.

Dining

Dinner is served at MIYAKE AKIRA Kiri, where seasonal Japanese cuisine brings together the flavours of Kaida Kogen and carefully selected ingredients from across Japan. Cool mountain weather, snowmelt from Mount Ontake, and morning mist help local farms produce richly flavoured highland vegetables, while clear streams provide freshwater fish.

At the counter, you can watch the chefs work and experience the sounds, aromas, and movement of the kitchen. Each course changes with the season, allowing vegetables, fish, and other ingredients to arrive when they taste their best.

Breakfast begins with views of the morning light over Mount Ontake. Local tofu, highland vegetables, Nagano specialities, and changing seasonal dishes create a generous start to your day. A chef prepares rolled omelette in front of you, while homemade blueberry jam made with fruit from the ryokan’s own garden adds a sweet taste of Kaida Kogen.

Onsen and Wellness

The shared indoor and open-air baths use 100% natural water from a private source within the grounds. The indoor bath sits beneath a high ceiling built with Kiso cypress, filling the space with the warmth and character of local wood.

Kiso Ontake Onsen is an alkaline bicarbonate spring. The source is naturally cool, colourless, clear, and odourless. Bathing in it is associated with relief from tiredness and muscle discomfort, while its bicarbonate content is valued for helping the skin feel soft and moisturised.

Outside, the scenery changes around you with the seasons. You may see mountain cherry blossoms in spring, deep green forest in summer, colourful leaves in autumn, or snow around the bath in winter.

After your soak, rest beside the large traditional hearth made from an ancient sawara cypress tree from the Mount Ontake foothills. When you reserve a Spa Terrace room, you also have your own source-water plunge, tent sauna, and private natural hot spring bath.

Guests with Tattoos

You cannot use the shared indoor or open-air baths if you have tattoos.

To enjoy natural hot spring water privately, reserve a Spa Terrace room. These rooms include private source-water bathing facilities used only by you and the people staying in your room.

Facilities

You can relax in the lounge, carry drinks and snacks from the Picnic Bar into the garden, or sit on the Ontake View Terrace with the mountain directly ahead. The grounds also include woodland paths and open spaces where you can read, talk, or simply enjoy the fresh air.

A select shop offers original items and carefully chosen local sweets. Free Wi-Fi is available in the rooms, and complimentary bicycles give you an easy way to explore the surrounding highland roads. You also have access to on-site parking and scheduled transport from Kiso-Fukushima Station.

Activities

Step onto the Ontake View Terrace in the morning with a drink from the Picnic Bar, or return later to watch the evening light move across the mountain. The surrounding forest and garden give you space for gentle walks without leaving the grounds.

At around 8:30 PM each evening, the outdoor lights and the restaurant lights facing the terrace are switched off. With almost no surrounding road or house lighting, the garden becomes a natural stargazing area. Mats, lamps, and blankets are available to help you settle outside and watch the night sky.

Close to the ryokan, Kiso Horse Village introduces you to the native Kiso horse and offers riding experiences. You can also cycle across the plateau, visit viewpoints such as Jizo Pass and Kuzo Pass, walk through birch forests, or explore the waterways and woodland scenery around Kaida Kogen.

In winter, Kaida Kogen Mia Ski Resort gives you access to skiing and snowboarding on the slopes of Mount Ontake. During the warmer months, you can enjoy hiking, forest walks, cycling, and scenic drives. A longer outing can take you deeper into the Kiso Valley to explore historic Nakasendo post towns.

Additional Features

Check-in begins at 3:00 PM, and check-out is by 10:00 AM. All accommodation is non-smoking.

A scheduled shuttle connects the ryokan with Kiso-Fukushima Station in the afternoon and returns to the station the following morning. Advance reservations are required.

With mountain-facing rooms, private Spa Terrace experiences, natural hot spring bathing, seasonal cuisine, bicycles, stargazing, and open countryside, Tsutaya Toki no Yado Kazari gives you many ways to enjoy Kaida Kogen without rushing.