Tennen Onsen Hinoki No Yu

Hinoki no Yu is a small day-use bath at Tobira Onsen, up a narrow mountain road above Matsumoto toward Utsukushigahara. Both the indoor bath and the outdoor bath draw straight from the source spring, the water is not recirculated, and there's a cup by the tub if you want to drink it. Soaking outside, you get a proper view of the surrounding mountains. The water runs clear with just a faint trace of sulfur rather than a strong smell, and it stays mild, more lukewarm than hot, which regulars seem to appreciate more than complain about. There's no sauna, just the two baths and the mountain air. It feels more like a neighborhood bathhouse than a resort: a small rest room with a drinks machine, and an independently run dining hall next door where local elders and passing visitors both linger after their soak.