Mahoroba is a small wooden inn at Nakao Onsen, a hamlet in the Okuhida Onsen area of Takayama, Gifu, ringed by Mount Kasagatake, Yarigatake, Yakedake and Sekijodake of the Northern Alps. The name is an old Japanese word said to mean “a wonderful place to live.” Before you book, three things matter: its four stone private open-air baths are free and need no booking; dinner is Hida beef in the dining room, not in your room; and the site and booking page are in Japanese only.
Mahoroba at a glance
| Item | Official information |
|---|---|
| Address | 206 Nakao, Okuhida Onsen-go, Takayama, Gifu 506-1422 |
| Phone | +81-578-89-2382 |
| Check-in / out | From 15:00 / by 10:00 |
| Rooms | Japanese rooms of 15 mats (toilet and washbasin) and 10 mats |
| Baths | Indoor bath for men and for women; four free private open-air baths, 24 hours |
| Meals | Japanese-Western dinner in the dining room; hoba miso breakfast |
| Prices | From 7,150 yen per adult room only; from 12,650 yen with two meals (tax included) |
| Extra charges | Bathing tax 150 yen + accommodation tax 100 yen per adult |
| Payment | Visa, Mastercard, JCB, American Express, Diners Club, Discover, PayPay |
From the official site and booking page, read October 14, 2026.
The baths at Mahoroba
How do the private open-air baths work?
Besides one indoor bath each for men and women, there are four stone open-air baths, some roofed and some open to the sky. They are free, need no booking, and can be used privately at any hour; the inn says couples and families can bathe together without worry. From December to March, two of the four are open. There is no sauna.
What is the water like?
The site lists the water as Shinhotaka Onsen, 100 percent natural hot spring, free-flowing. It comes out at 80 to 90°C, so the inn cools it with mountain spring water. The baths look out on the peaks around the inn.
Can I bathe with a tattoo?
The official pages do not mention tattoos. The open-air baths are used privately, but the indoor baths are shared, so ask the inn before you book. Our tattoo and onsen guide explains what to ask.
Rooms at Mahoroba
The 15-mat Japanese room has its own toilet and washbasin and is suggested for families or groups. The 10-mat room is a compact room for up to three, children included; whether it has its own toilet, ask the inn. Rooms have heating and air conditioning, a TV, an empty fridge, yukata and down futons, plus bath towels, hand towels and toothbrushes. You lay out your own futon. In winter the tables become kotatsu, and Wi-Fi covers the building. Smoking is only in the 1st-floor smoking area.
Meals at Mahoroba
What are dinner and breakfast like?
Dinner is a Japanese-Western set of 8 to 9 dishes, served in the dining room, built on local wild greens, vegetables, river fish and Hida beef. The standard plan centers on Hida beef cooked on a ceramic plate (sukiyaki in autumn and winter), and the premium plan serves Hida beef four ways, including shabu-shabu and sushi. For a few groups a day, by reservation, Hida beef skewers are grilled over charcoal at the irori hearth before dinner. Breakfast is Japanese, built around hoba miso, a Hida dish of miso grilled on a magnolia leaf.
Are there seasonal dishes?
From about late October to mid-November, the owner picks wild mushrooms in the mountains himself. A wild mushroom hot pot can replace the main dish on the double-main plan if you write the request in the booking notes, but the inn cannot promise it; it depends on the harvest. In May, wild mountain greens appear.
Can the inn handle allergies or a special diet?
The official pages do not say. Write to the inn before you book if you have an allergy or follow a diet.
Prices, children and payment at Mahoroba
How much does a stay cost?
Per adult per night, tax included, the official booking page starts at 7,150 yen room only, 12,650 yen for the standard plan, 14,300 yen for the double-main plan (Hida beef steak and beef tongue stew), 15,950 yen for the Hida beef premium plan and 16,500 yen for the seasonal soft-shelled turtle plan. No deposit is needed. The inn takes bookings on its official page from three months ahead.
What about the bathing and accommodation tax?
The inn adds a bathing tax of 150 yen and an accommodation tax of 100 yen per adult. Takayama City sets its accommodation tax by the room charge, excluding meals and consumption tax (100 yen under 10,000 yen), and children born on or after April 2, 2014 are exempt for stays through March 31, 2027. See our onsen bathing tax guide.
What do children cost?
The official pages do not publish children’s rates. Ask the inn when you book.
What is the cancellation policy?
Fees start several days before arrival and reach 100 percent for a no-show. The inn notes that the fees apply even when guests cancel because of the weather. The rates differ between the official pages, so confirm them with the inn. Changes to the number of guests or plan must be made by phone. See our hotel cancellation guide.
How do I pay?
The site lists Visa, Mastercard, JCB, American Express, Diners Club, Discover and PayPay.
Getting to Mahoroba at Nakao Onsen, Okuhida
By bus, take the Nohi bus toward Shinhotaka and get off at Nakao Hakusan Jinja-mae, about 3 minutes on foot. The booking page says guests coming by bus can be met at the Nakao Onsen-guchi or the Shinhotaka Ropeway stop, so tell the inn how you are traveling and give a phone number for the day. After the Shinhotaka Ropeway or a hike, the inn will collect you there before 15:00; after 15:00 it asks guests to use the bus. By car, the site gives routes from the Takayama IC on Route 158 and from the Matsumoto IC through the Abo Tunnel and Hirayu Onsen to Route 471; there is parking. Use snow tires or chains in winter. Our Takayama map shows how the city fits together.
Hiking the Northern Alps from Mahoroba
For the 2026 season, the inn keeps hotel guests’ cars and drives them to the trailhead early in the morning for free, from about 4:00. On those mornings, breakfast becomes a rice-ball box. The Shinhotaka Ropeway runs all year; at Nakao Kogen, the inn says the autumn leaves peak from late October to early November, and in 2026 the Nakao Kamakura snow-hut festival ran February 1 to 10 from 20:00 to 21:00 at Nakao Hakusan Shrine, a few minutes’ walk away.
What foreign guests should know before staying at Mahoroba
- The site and booking page are in Japanese only; the inn’s contact is okuhida.mahoroba@gmail.com or +81-578-89-2382.
- Lay out your own futon; it is self-service.
- Only two open-air baths are open from December to March.
- Solo bookings have their own conditions in the inn’s news; ask before you plan a solo stay.
- Keep 250 yen per adult for the two taxes, paid at the inn.
Frequently asked questions
Are the private baths at Mahoroba free?
What time is check-in at Mahoroba?
Does Mahoroba have an English website?
Can I get to Mahoroba without a car?
What is the cancellation policy at Mahoroba?
Bottom line (2026): Mahoroba is a small wooden inn at Nakao Onsen in Okuhida, with four free private open-air baths, Hida beef dinners and free trailhead drop-offs for hikers. The pages are in Japanese, so write or call to confirm the cancellation rates, tattoos and diet needs before you book.
Sources
Every fact on this page is from Mahoroba’s official pages: home (Japanese), baths, meals, rooms and facilities, access, news and the official booking page, plus Takayama City’s accommodation tax page. All were read on October 14, 2026. Prices and rules change; check the official site before you book.
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