Hirugami Onsen and the 2026 Night Tour: When to Bathe, Eat and Catch the Bus
Bathe before Hirugami’s 2026 star tour: day-use baths close earlier, and the Iida–Nakatsugawa bus does not run late enough for the return after the event.
The order matters in Hirugami. Most day-use baths stop admitting guests before the evening star program ends, so bathing after the tour is not a reliable plan unless your accommodation has its own bath. For most visitors, the workable sequence is to arrive, bathe in the afternoon, eat, then head to the gondola with the return journey already sorted.
One date detail matters right now: the official Season 2026 schedule lists a maintenance closure from September 24 through October 9. The tour is therefore not running on September 27; the next scheduled operating date is October 10, subject to weather and any new notice.
What Season 2026 looks like
The Tenku no Rakuen Night Tour at Fujimidai Kogen Ropeway Heaven Sonohara runs from April 11, 2026, through March 22, 2027, with several maintenance breaks.
Tickets start at ¥2,800 for adults and high-school students, and ¥1,400 for elementary- and junior-high-school students. Preschool children are free. The ticket includes a round-trip gondola ride; fares vary by date.
For most of the year, uphill gondolas run from 5–8 p.m., the program ends at 9 p.m. and the downhill gondola runs continuously. Winter operations change: from December through March, uphill service is 6–7:30 p.m. and the program ends at 8:30 p.m. The outdoor event area is closed in winter, when the star program moves to another zone. Weather or event conditions can alter hours or cancel operations.
The scheduled light-down and star-talk times also change by season. They are 7:20, 8:00 and 8:40 p.m. in April–May and September–November; 8:00 and 8:40 p.m. in July–August; and 7:00 and 8:00 p.m. in December–March. During the observation period, flash and screen-lit photography are prohibited. Check the official page for the date you want, since maintenance breaks and event changes make a generic “night tour every day” assumption risky.
Bathe before the tour, not after
Three day-use options have different cutoff times:
| Bath | Current published day-use hours and adult price | Planning note |
|---|---|---|
| Yuttarina Hirugami | 10 a.m.–9:30 p.m.; last entry 8:30 p.m.; ¥800 | The broadest time window. Closed Tuesdays, or Wednesday when Tuesday is a public holiday. |
| Achi-no-Sato Hirugami | 11 a.m.–7 p.m.; last entry 6 p.m.; ¥800 | Leave time to travel to the gondola after bathing. |
| Hotel Hirugami no Mori | Usually 3–8 p.m. for day bathing; last admission 8 p.m.; ¥1,000 | The hotel’s page lists separate holiday hours and notes that closures can be added. Confirm that day’s availability. |
If you want a leisurely meal and a bath before the evening program, Yuttarina’s longer hours offer the most margin. Achi-no-Sato and Hirugami no Mori require an earlier finish. The tour’s listing hours are not a promise that you can bathe after it: the last gondola and program end later than the day-use facilities’ last admission.
Allow time to change, eat and reach your pickup point. The tour venue is at Heaven Sonohara, outside the onsen’s walkable centre; do not assume a quick walk from the bath to the gondola. Ask your accommodation whether it has an event shuttle or can arrange a taxi, and confirm the return leg before you buy a ticket.
The new bus helps with daytime access, not the late return
The Iida–Nakatsugawa scheduled sightseeing bus began a three-year trial on September 1, 2026. It links Iida Station, Hirugami Onsen, Magome and Nakatsugawa Station; the flat fare between stops is ¥1,500. It runs through March 31, 2029, but stops each year from December 1 through March 19. Seats are limited and advance booking is available.
This bus is useful for reaching Hirugami during the day, but it is not a post-tour return service. The official timetable shows two daily trips in each direction, with the last listed Hirugami departure in the afternoon. A day visitor coming from Iida cannot watch the full evening program and then rely on this bus to get back. Stay overnight, arrange a private transfer, or choose a different evening plan.
The separate Matsumoto direct bus is only for guests staying at participating Hirugami accommodations, and is sold as a round trip. It should not be treated as a general day-trip connection. In either case, reserve the transport and ask the lodging about late returns before settling on an evening ticket.
A day-trip rhythm that leaves room for the return
If you are coming from Iida, take a morning connection, leave bags at your lodging or an approved storage point, and use the afternoon for the bath. Eat before travelling to the ropeway, then take the booked gondola slot. The town’s bathhouses are not a fallback for a late return.
For an overnight visit, check in early enough to enjoy the bath and dinner without rushing. Official Night Tour partner inns can arrange tickets outside the usual two-week online sales window, but availability and the inn’s transfer rules still matter. If the event is cancelled for bad weather, keep the evening flexible; clear skies are never guaranteed, and a tour ticket does not guarantee visible stars.
If you want the accommodation itself to be part of the plan, see the Hirugami Sansui stay guide. For a day-use bath alone, verify that it is open on your date before travelling.
