Makino Kogen Onsen Sarasa

Makino Kogen Onsen Sarasa is a day-use bathhouse in the Makino Kogen recreation grounds in Shiga, with two separate bath halls, Mantenboshi (満天星) and Furin (風鈴), each holding an indoor bath, an outdoor rotenburo, a seasonal low-temperature bath called Shikiyu (四季湯), a sauna, and a jacuzzi you can lie back in. On weekdays a separate swimsuit-required Bade Zone also opens, a mixed-gender pool area with a shallow end and free arm-float rental for small kids, plus a cold bath for alternating dips. The alkaline spring water feels smooth and faintly silky on the skin, without much scent. The bathhouse sits alongside Makino Kogen's campground, ski slopes, and grass-golf course, close to the Metasequoia tree avenue the area is known for. In summer the outdoor bath looks straight up at the green grass of the ski hill. There's a restaurant, Sarasa-an, on site, and no lodging: it's a stop for a soak after skiing, camping, or a walk under the trees, not an overnight destination.