Hobikan calls itself a small wooden inn in Shin-Hirayu Onsen, part of the Okuhida hot spring villages in Takayama, Gifu, below the Northern Alps. It takes up to three rooms a day, and every meal is made by hand that day. Before you book, three things matter: all four baths are private and free, with no booking; payment is cash only; and children must be elementary-school age or older.
Hobikan at a glance
| Item | Official information |
|---|---|
| Location | Shin-Hirayu Onsen, Okuhida Onsen-go, Takayama, Gifu (postal code 506-1432) |
| Size | Up to three rooms a day |
| Rooms | Japanese rooms of 10 + 2.5 tatami mats, futons laid out before you arrive |
| Baths | 2 indoor + 2 outdoor, all private, free, no booking, until 9:00 |
| Meals | Dinner and breakfast in a private dining room |
| Prices | From 12,650 yen per adult, tax included |
| Payment | Cash only |
| Children | Elementary-school age and older |
| Parking | Free, in front of the inn |
| Booking | By phone, +81-578-89-2470 |
From the official site, read October 14, 2026.
How much does a night at Hobikan cost?
The official site lists four plans. Each price is per adult per night, tax included, and the same on weekdays, the night before a holiday and holidays.
| Plan | Per adult | Condition |
|---|---|---|
| Dinner and breakfast | 15,950 yen | Two adults or more per room, booked by phone |
| Solo traveler, dinner and breakfast | 19,250 yen | One adult in a standard room |
| Dinner only | 14,850 yen | Two adults or more per room |
| Breakfast only | 12,650 yen | Two adults or more per room |
From the official plan pages, read October 14, 2026.
What taxes are added at checkout?
The plan pages add a bathing tax of 150 yen per adult and an accommodation tax that the inn lists as 100 yen per adult per night. Takayama City sets the accommodation tax by the room-only price, excluding meals, at 100 to 300 yen, and exempts children through sixth grade from both taxes. See our onsen bathing tax guide.
Why book by phone?
The plan pages say direct phone bookings get priority and rooms go to outside booking sites only after that. A 2023 notice adds that, with so few rooms, weekends and holidays are booked mainly by phone. Calls are taken until 20:00 Japan time.
The private baths at Hobikan
How do the four private baths work?
There are two indoor baths and two outdoor baths, and every one is private. There is no booking and no fee: hang the “private” tag on any empty bath and go in. They are open from check-in until 9:00 the next morning, including through the night. With three groups at most, the inn says one of the four is always free.
What is the water like?
The spring is a simple hot spring, weakly acidic, that leaves the ground at 76.4°C. The inn keeps the baths at about 40°C and calls them 100 percent free-flowing. The indoor baths have shampoo, conditioner, body soap, cleansing face wash, toner, cotton swabs and a hair dryer. In April 2023, the outdoor bath Taruma no Yu was rebuilt in stone in place of cypress.
Can I bathe with a tattoo?
The official pages do not mention tattoos. All four baths are used privately, but ask the inn before you book. Our tattoo and onsen guide explains what to ask.
Meals at Hobikan
What are dinner and breakfast like?
The inn says it makes every dish by hand on the day, mostly from local ingredients, which is why it offers one meal plan only. Dinner centers on A5-grade Hida beef cooked on a ceramic plate and freshly grilled salted iwana (char), with Hida sansho pepper, mountain vegetables and seasonal vegetables. Breakfast includes Hida beef stew, salt-grilled iwana, hoba miso and the rare local rice Inochi no Ichi.
Both meals are served in a private dining room. There are five; they are Japanese rooms set with tables and chairs instead of floor seating, and the inn assigns them by group size. Dinner is set for 18:00. Extra dishes, ordered by phone by the day before, include a plate of Hida beef for 3,300 yen and iwana bone sake, about 180 ml, for 2,200 yen.
Can the inn handle allergies or a special diet?
The official pages do not say. Since the meals are handmade on the day, ask the inn when you book.
Rooms and the garden path at Hobikan
What is in the room?
Rooms are Japanese-style, 10 tatami mats plus a 2.5-mat space, with futons already laid out so you can rest from check-in. Each has a washlet toilet, a washbasin, air conditioning, a TV, an empty fridge, tea and sweets, a hot-water pot, chilled Taruma spring water and, in winter, a humidifier. Yukata, tabi socks, toothbrush, razor, shower cap and towels are provided. The whole inn is non-smoking, with a smoking room in the lobby.
What is the path behind the inn?
Behind the inn, the owner’s hobbies grew into a small walking path with sansho and hoba trees, a mini rice paddy of Inochi no Ichi, an akebi trellis, beehives and a pesticide-free garden. Walking through it is a shortcut to the Taruma Falls park.
Children, cancellation and payment at Hobikan
Can children stay?
Since December 2024, the inn has taken guests of elementary-school age and older only. The official pages do not list a child rate.
What is the cancellation policy?
Every plan page states: free until 2 days before, 50 percent the day before, and 100 percent on the day. See our hotel cancellation guide.
How do I pay?
Cash only. The plan pages say credit cards and similar methods cannot be used, so bring yen for the room, the extras and both taxes.
Getting to Hobikan in Okuhida
By bus from Takayama Station, take the Nohi Bus bound for Shinhotaka and get off at Zentsuji-mae or Shin-Hirayu Onsen; the inn is a 1-minute walk. From Matsumoto Station, Nohi Bus or Alpico Bus runs to Shin-Hirayu Onsen, and from Toyama Station, Nohi Bus. By car, the inn is reached via Hirayu on Route 471, and there is a free parking lot in front. In winter, the inn asks drivers to use winter tires. For how Okuhida fits with Takayama, see our Takayama map.
What foreign guests should know before staying at Hobikan
- The website is in Japanese only, and booking is by phone; email is listed too.
- Bring cash. Cards are not accepted.
- Arrive in time for 18:00 dinner, or call ahead if you will be late.
- Order Hida beef or bone sake extras by phone by the day before.
- Check-in time and the tattoo rule are not on the site; ask when you book.
Frequently asked questions
Can I book Hobikan online?
Can I pay by credit card at Hobikan?
Can children stay at Hobikan?
What time is check-in at Hobikan?
What is the cancellation policy at Hobikan?
Bottom line (2026): Hobikan is a three-room wooden inn in Shin-Hirayu Onsen with four free private baths open through the night and handmade Hida meals in private dining rooms. Bring cash, book by phone, and ask about check-in time and tattoos when you call.
Sources
Every fact on this page is from Hobikan’s official pages: home (Japanese), hot spring, meals, reservation, dinner and breakfast plan, access and the December 2024 notice, and from Takayama City’s accommodation tax and bathing tax pages. All were read on October 14, 2026. Prices and rules change; check the official site before you book.
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