Matsunoyama Onsen is a small hot spring tucked away in the snowy mountains, where in January and February it is not unusual for more than 4 metres of snow to fall. What could be better than watching the fluffy snow fall from the comfort of a hot spring bath? In May the snows melt, and the village community welcomes the spring and the growth of new life.

With a source that originates in 12-million-year-old fossil seawater, this hot spring is rich in salt and is effective at warming the body. It has more than 15 times the standard minimum mineral content required to be classed as a hot spring and together with Kusatsu Onsen in Gunma and Arima Onsen in Hyogo, it is known as one of Japan’s three most effective medicinal springs.

Another point of enjoyment here is the delicious mountain cuisine. This region is renowned for its rice paddies that are fed with crystal clear snowmelt water and produce rice that has an exquisite flavour. The accumulated knowledge of the snowy mountains can be found in all kinds of delicious dishes, such as fermented miso foods, where mountain vegetables are cured and matured.

Matsunoyama is a green and verdant location surrounded by mountains. The Bijinbayashi (beautiful women) beech tree forest is also close by.