Official classification
Official spring-type name (as recorded)Simple hot spring (mildly alkaline, hypotonic, high temperature)
Appearance & feel
Colour and feel are listed only where a source states them. They vary by day and by bath.
What makes it special
A 475-bed rehabilitation hospital stands in the middle of the village, and the inns advertise solo travellers welcome all year and self-catering wings. Here toji, the long therapeutic stay, is still a living practice.
Kakeyu Hospital (JA Nagano Koseiren) opened on 1 September 1956 and has 475 beds; it has served as a rehabilitation hospital for stroke and orthopaedic patients for over 70 years. The association's inn list notes 'solo travellers welcome all year' (Fujiya Ryokan) and a 'self-catering wing' (Kajikaso).[6][5]
Facilities come from the register (Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, official sites). Those marked "natural spring unconfirmed" are listed on the basis of their name only.
| Type | Gender | Source | Bath temperature | Free-flowing | Added water | Heated | Recirculated | Disinfected |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Indoor bath | Separate | Blend of five sources | Unconfirmed | Unconfirmed[3] | Unconfirmed[3] | Unconfirmed[3] | Unconfirmed[3] | Unconfirmed[3] |
| Open-air bath | Separate | Blend of five sources | Unconfirmed | Unconfirmed[3] | Unconfirmed[3] | Unconfirmed[3] | Unconfirmed[3] | Unconfirmed[3] |
From Ueda (Hokuriku Shinkansen) about 70 minutes by Chikuma Bus, three a day; or from Matsumoto about 50 minutes by Alpico bus, two on weekdays only. A free car park (about 40 spaces) is beside the Kakeyu community centre.
The association posts a simple hot spring (mildly alkaline, hypotonic, high temperature) at 46.0 °C, colourless and odourless. With a low mineral load it is gentle on the skin, which is why it has long been used for toji, extended cure stays. Monju-no-yu blends water from five sources. Drinking indications (constipation and so on) are also posted, with a note that children under 15 should not drink it. Bathing indications include high blood pressure, after-effects of stroke and movement disorders; these are listings, not guarantees.
Bathing: neuralgia, joint pain, rheumatism, high blood pressure, after-effects of stroke, movement disorders. Drinking: constipation and digestive regulation (not for children under 15), as posted by the association
Indications are an official statement based on the water analysis, not a guarantee of treatment. They are kept separate from opinions.
| Source | Source temperature | pH | Radon | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kakeyu Onsen (representative value posted by the association) | 46 | Unconfirmed | Unconfirmed | no check date |
On Yubata-dori, at the foot of the Godai Bridge A public bath built in 2000 on the site of Kakeyu's oldest spring. Two indoor tubs and one open-air tub on each side; hot water from five sources is blended. 350 yen adults, 200 yen children; 9:00–21:00, open every day.
The cheapest way to try the same simple spring water the inns use, and it sits on the path to the Monju-do temple, so you see how bathing and worship share the same ground.[3]
Just across the gorge from the village The Godai Bridge is a roofed wooden bridge over the gorge between the village and the Monju-do and Yakushi-do halls. Monju-do is a Nagano prefectural treasure and counted among Japan's three great Monju (Manjushri) temples.
The name Kakeyu, 'the bath taught by a deer', comes from the legend that Monju took the form of a deer to show a hunter the spring, and this hall is where that story lives. Every morning at 9:00 there is a health exercise session in the grounds (not Tuesdays; in a community centre in winter).[4][7][8]
From Yuzaka past Monju-no-yu, over the Godai Bridge to Monju-do and Yakushi-do From 26 December to 31 January (2025–26 season), about 200 lanterns carved from ice are lit with candles from 16:30 until around 21:00. Visitors can help light them from 16:30; free.
Real flame and real ice rather than electric illumination: a festival that suits the quiet of a winter cure village, and all within a short walk of the bath.[9]
The name Kakeyu, 'the bath taught by a deer', comes from a legend in which the bodhisattva Monju took the form of a deer to show a devout hunter where the hot water rose. The Monju-do hall across the gorge enshrines a statue said to have been carved by the monk Gyoki, and the spring is held to have been flowing some 1,200 years ago. By the Edo period it was a flourishing toji resort, as the tourism association still notes. In 1956 it was designated a National Health Resort Hot Spring together with Reisenji and Oshio as 'Uchimura Onsen', later renamed the Maruko hot-spring group.[4][2]
In September 1956, the same year as the health-resort designation, the JA Nagano agricultural cooperative's medical arm opened a hospital in Kakeyu. Today's Kakeyu Hospital has 475 beds and has spent more than seventy years as a rehabilitation hospital for stroke and orthopaedic patients, merging with Misayama Hospital in 2023. With the hospital at the centre, inns offering self-catering wings and room-only stays, and a trainer from the Kurhaus leading exercises in the Monju-do grounds at nine every morning, this is the old toji tradition carried on alongside modern medicine.[6][5][8]
The association posts a simple hot spring (mildly alkaline, hypotonic, high temperature) at 46.0 °C, colourless and without any strong character. At Monju-no-yu the hot water of five sources is blended for two indoor tubs and an open-air tub on each side. A gentle water you can bathe in daily without fatigue is exactly what a long-stay cure village needs. Drinking indications are posted too, with a warning that children under 15 should not drink it.[2][3]
There is no railway station: buses take about 70 minutes from Ueda (three a day) or about 50 minutes from Matsumoto (two on weekdays, none on weekends or holidays). With so few services, fix your bus time before you book a room. By car it is about 40 minutes from either the Tobu-Yunomaru or Matsumoto expressway exits, with a free 40-space car park beside the community centre.[4]
checked 2026-10-09
"Recommended" and "open" are recorded separately. Check the season for seasonal springs.
Dec · Jan — Ice-lantern prayer nights (26 Dec–31 Jan, lit 16:30 to about 21:00)
Apr — Monju-do spring festival (Sunday nearest 25 April)
Jun — Fireflies mid–late June; Sunday morning market from June to late November
Oct — Autumn food-and-bath festival week (October)
Counted among Japan's three great Monju halls, reached over a roofed wooden bridge. Morning exercise in the grounds at 9:00 daily except Tuesday[7][8]
Right beside Monju-no-yuStamp books are 200 yen at inn receptions and the ryokan association office; complete the set for a certificate and souvenir[7]
A loop around the villageEvery Sunday from June to late November[11]
In the villageFounded 1956, 475 beds, known for stroke and orthopaedic rehabilitation. Not open to visitors[6]
In the villageArrive on the early-afternoon bus, walk along Yubata-dori to Monju-no-yu (350 yen), then cross the Godai Bridge to Monju-do. Next morning, join the 9:00 exercise session and fall into the rhythm of a cure village. On a winter evening, walk the lantern-lit path.
The "editors' guide" above is written by the editors from sources; it is not a visitor's opinion.
No reviews yet. While the review platform is being prepared, we do not display fictional reviews or ratings.
Review posting is in preparation, with visit date, facility, comments on water, scenery and access, photos, language and reporting.
鹿教湯温泉（かけゆおんせん）は、長野県上田市（旧丸子町、旧西内村、旧国信濃国）にある温泉。
This overview is based on the lead section of the Japanese Wikipedia article "鹿教湯温泉" (CC BY-SA 4.0). View original page
Updated 2026-10-09
Suggest a correction or addition
