Why Matsumoto is the Perfect Base for an Onsen Getaway♨️
Previously, I mentioned that Nagoya is an excellent entry point when arriving in Japan. Here’s a quick recap:
Nagoya Chubu Airport is much less crowded than Tokyo Narita or Osaka KIX. Plus, they have lounges that serve real food and accept Priority Pass—unlike the other two airports.
Navigating the airport is easy—there’s only one train station, so you won’t get lost.
Buying train tickets is simple—all airport trains go to the same main hub, Meitetsu Nagoya Station, and the ride costs less than 1,000 yen (or 1,450 yen for a non-stop first-class seat).
Nearby cities via bullet train: Kyoto (35 mins), Osaka (50 mins), Tokyo (2 hours).
Now, imagine the perfect base after landing in Japan, an ideal destination for those who want to experience as many different outdoor onsen as possible in winter. My top recommendation? Matsumoto!
Why Choose Matsumoto as Your Onsen Base?
Japan is filled with onsen towns, but Matsumoto stands out as a convenient and budget-friendly hub to explore multiple hot springs in the surrounding areas. While the town itself doesn't have many onsens, it's a perfect starting point to reach renowned hot spring destinations nearby.
Here’s why we chose to stay in Matsumoto for a few nights:
✔️ Affordable hotels—way cheaper than Tokyo or Kyoto.
✔️ Great city connections—easy access to Nagoya, Tokyo, and beyond. (blue lines of the map)
✔️ Strategic Location for stunning outdoor onsen—Matsumoto is within driving distance of nearby onsen-rich prefectures like Gifu and Gunma, making it a convenient hub for exploring multiple hot spring destinations. (red circle of the map)
✔️ Not too crowded—Unlike tourist-heavy cities, Matsumoto offers a peaceful, authentic Japanese experience.
✔️ Surrounded by nature—mountains, rivers, and fertile lands, known for producing rice, sake, and wasabi!
How to Get to Matsumoto
From Nagoya to Matsumoto, you can either rent a car, take the JR Shinano train, or hop on a long-distance bus. I’ve tried both the train and the car.
🚗 Rental Car:
Renting a car can be a bit pricier than the train, especially if you’re only traveling with two people. However, if you’re in a group of 3 or more, renting a car is definitely a better option. You can use ChatGPT to estimate the gasoline cost and toll fees plus the rental cost that you found.
🚆 Taking the JR Shinano Train
Cost (2025):
Reserved seat: JPY 6,430
Non-reserved seat: JPY 3,410
Important Note: If you don’t reserve a seat, you might end up standing for the entire ride. We traveled during the peak holiday season, and most trains were fully booked. Luckily, we managed to secure reserved tickets.
JR Shinano train ticket from Nagoya to Matsumoto
View from the train
The JR Shinano is not a Shinkansen (bullet train), and the journey wasn’t particularly comfortable.
❌ No power outlets
❌ No Wi-Fi
❌ Limited luggage space!!!
Carry-ons fit on overhead racks, but large suitcases don’t. We were lucky to find an empty storage space between the entrance and the front row, but it only fit one big suitcase. If you're traveling with a group where everyone brings a large suitcase, my advice is:
Consider taking a bus or renting a car to avoid the stress.
Ship your big luggage directly to your next hotel with Yamato service.
Temporarily store your large suitcase at a hotel reception in Nagoya (Since we had a booking with Hilton, we stored ours at the Hilton Nagoya and took enough clothes for the next few nights).
That said, the scenery is gorgeous, especially if you travel in winter—you’ll see snow-covered landscapes along the way!
❗ Pro Tip: You can’t book Shinano train tickets online via the official JR website (at least, I haven’t figured out how). Some English agency websites sell them for JPY 9,000, which is a bit overpriced (perhaps they are first class). The best way is to buy them directly at the station—and you can pre-book your return ticket there too.
Where to Stay in Matsumoto
We stayed at Iroha Grand Hotel Matsumoto Ekimae again because we had a great experience in the first time!
🏨 Iroha Grand Hotel Matsumoto Ekimae
💰 Price: ~$50 per night (includes breakfast for two)
🍜 Bonus: Free late-night snacks from 8 PM to 10 PM
Why we choose this hotel:
Spacious for Japan’s standards—you can store luggage under the bed!
Clean & quiet—perfect for a good night’s sleep.
Amazing breakfast—so many veggie options like mushrooms, okra, lotus root, and sweet potatoes.
Fun (and embarrassing) story:
At breakfast, I saw a mystery white block wrapped in thin plastic. Curious, I unwrapped it and popped it into my mouth. Immediately, I realized something was wrong. It was chewy, gummy, and crumbled weirdly. Panic set in—Did I just eat a soap bar? A plastic prop? 😱
Turns out… it was raw mochi that needed to be toasted first. 😅 Lesson learned. Next time, I’ll use the toaster!
Renting a Car in Matsumoto
Because we couldn’t rent a car in Nagoya due to the New Year holiday season, we took a train to Matsumoto to spend the night and picked up the rental car the next day. So after breakfast, we walked to Toyota Rent-a-Car to pick up our rental.
Why I use Toyota Rent-a-Car:
✔️ Multiple pick-up locations
✔️ English-friendly website
✔️ Reasonable prices
🚗 Driving in Japan – What You Need to Know
If you’re renting a car in Japan, make sure your driver’s license is valid!
For German drivers: Japan requires an official Japanese translation of your German license. My husband’s International Driving Permit (IDP) from Germany didn’t include Japanese, so he had to get an official translation document.The benefit, however, is that his German driving license doesn’t have an expiration date, so the official translation remains valid forever too.
For others: If you’re using an International Driving Permit (IDP), make sure it includes Japanese translation, or you’ll need to get a separate document.
(A few years ago in Hokkaido, I tried renting with my American driving license without IDP and was rejected right away. So, make sure you get an IDP!)
Driving in Japan took him a few minutes to adjust to (since they drive on the left side), but luckily, I was used to it from driving in Malaysia.
Official Japanese translation for German driving license
Onsen
Our First Onsen Stop: Jizō Onsen Spa Jippuku No Yu (地蔵温泉 十福の湯)
There are many onsens in Japan, but not all of them have an outdoor area. Some simply pump hot spring water into indoor pools, with nothing to look at but the ceiling. If you’re seeking an outdoor onsen surrounded by nature, where you can take in the open sky and feel the cool breeze around you, this hidden gem is a perfect place to start. It’s just an hour’s drive from Matsumoto City.
Entrance of the onsen
Outdoor parking
🏞️ Getting There & Parking
🚗 Easy access by car
🅿️ Plenty of parking (including covered parking under the building!)
🎟️ Entry & Tickets
Adult: 850 yen
Child: 460 yen
Buy at the ticket machine near the entrance
Building Entrance
Ticket machine
Before heading inside, you’ll need remove your outdoor shoes and store them in a locker. The locker key stays with you, so no worries about losing your shoes!
🛁 Inside the Onsen – What to Expect
📵 No phones or cameras allowed in the bath area!
Free lockers are provided for storage.
Basic amenities (shampoo, conditioner, body wash, hair dryer) are available.
Towels are NOT provided—bring your own or buy one.
Before entering the bath, you must shower from head to toe. It’s a strict Japanese etiquette rule!
💦 Onsen options:
Indoor: Hot bath, cold bath, sauna
Outdoor: Hot spring, cold bath.
❄️ The Magic of an Outdoor Onsen in Winter
Soaking in an outdoor onsen while it’s snowing? Absolute bliss! 🌨️ The water was hot, the air crisp, and the ❄️snow-covered trees surrounding us made the whole experience feel surreal. I sat in the steaming water, gazing at the snowy forest. Despite the steam, I could still see countless stars above, and the moonlight glimmered as it reflected on the hot water. The distinct smell of the sulfur minerals filled the air. Then, suddenly… 🌨️snowflakes began to fall! It felt like something out of a movie.
Note: The image below is post AI-generated and serves as an artistic representation of my onsen experience. It captures the essence and atmosphere of the moment as described in the text.
Note: The image accompanying is AI-generated and serves as an artistic representation of my onsen experience. It captures the essence and atmosphere of the moment as described in the text.
I watched as the snowflakes slowly landed on my skin, my eyebrows, and my hair—but I never felt cold. The -4°C temperature didn’t matter because the water was so warm. When I started feeling too hot, I’d simply stand up and sit on the rocks. When I felt a chill, I’d sink back into the hot water. We must have stayed there for almost 45 minutes, lost in the peaceful rhythm of it all.
🍜 Post-Onsen Meal
After the relaxing hot spring, with our bodies feeling very warm, the first thing I craved was ice cream!
Stepping out of the hot spring, my body felt unbelievably warm. Naturally, the first thing I wanted was something cold—ice cream. For just 250 yen, I got a blueberry frozen yogurt, which was creamy, refreshing, and exactly what I needed after soaking in hot water for so long. They also offered free water, which was a nice bonus.
Once I finished my ice cream, it was time for a proper meal. The restaurant inside the onsen had an overwhelming number of choices—rice bowls, sushi, noodles, salads, pizza, even baked goods. The menu had very few English words, but the pictures made it easy to figure out: if it had eggs, you’d see eggs; if it had fish, you’d see fish. Prices were surprisingly affordable, and they even offered free tea and water.
🍽️ How to order food/ drink:
Use the vending machine – Line up, insert cash, and select your meal. Some machines might offer an English interface, but if not, you can use Google Translate’s camera function for real-time translation.
Receive your ticket – The machine prints two identical tickets.
Hand in your ticket – Go to the food counter and give the tickets to the staff. The staff will verify and tear the ticket into half and you keep the other half of the ticket.
Get a pager – The staff will hand you a restaurant pager that rings and vibrates when your food is ready.
Find a seat and wait – From what I observed, almost all seating is on tatami mats with low tables and pillows. For people in a wheelchair, there might be a separate area. I suggest emailing them to clarify accessibility options before your visit.
Pick up your meal – when the pager rings, hand over your remaining ticket at the food counter, collect your meal, and enjoy!
I ordered a crispy, flavorful katsudon (pork cutlet rice bowl), while my husband had oyakodon (chicken and egg rice bowl). Both came with a warm bowl of miso soup—simple, comforting, and exactly what we needed.
What impressed me most was how clean and orderly everything was. When people finished their meals, they wiped their tables, returned their trays, and stacked their dishes neatly on designated shelves. No staff running around cleaning up after guests—just a well-organized system that kept everything smooth.
Before leaving, I stopped by the bathroom to wash my hands. Since no shoes were allowed inside the building, they provided shared bathroom slippers. While I'm not a big fan of using shared shoes, at least they were dry, and with my socks on, it was manageable. What stood out to me was the way people placed the slippers neatly in their designated spots, facing the right direction for the next person. It’s these small details that make Japan’s culture feel so thoughtful and considerate.
With full stomachs and relaxed bodies, we retrieved our shoes from the lockers and wrapped up the perfect onsen experience before driving back to Matsumoto City. One thing I knew for sure after all those hot baths and delicious food was that I was going to have a deep, restful sleep that night.
Final Thoughts
Matsumoto is the perfect base for an onsen getaway—affordable, relaxing, and surrounded by nature. If you’re visiting Japan and love hot springs, definitely consider staying here for a few nights!