Any recent nice onsen recs along the Hokuriku or between Nagano and Matsumoto? I'm considering a mid April ~ 6 night trip to Takada castle, Takato castle, Tateyama Kurobe Alpen route, Tonami Tulip, and possibly Kurobe pass. Kind of a mix of sakura and snow. Possibly also seafood as I hear the firefly squid season starts in April.

I've wedged Matsumoto to Toyama around the Alpen route in the middle of my stay, avoiding the weekend, but I'm having trouble planning for onsen stays before and after. A bit surprising since Nagano has plenty. Thinking of starting near Takada castle as their hanami festival lasts until April 17 and peaks earlier instead of Takato which is available until April 30 with light ups. Tonami tulip festival starts on April 21. The Kurobe pass is only partially open before May.

Has anyone been to Yamada onsen (Fujiiso ryokan near Fukeikan) and can compare it to Nozawa, Yudanaka, or Shibu? I favor modern inn/ryokan hybrids over historic ryokan. I prefer smaller quiet onsen towns over the concrete jungles unless the water is really good with a lot of variety (like Noboribetsu). A good rotenburo is a plus.

So far I've looked at Yamada onsen, Shirahone, Kimi above Toyama, Kintaro near Ouzo, Unazuki near Kurobe Pass train. I've been to Hirayu on a previous trip (great onsens) but it might be a bit out of the way. Shirahone could also be a bit tricky without a car and I've heard that the water temperature is a little cool, especially for April?

Yudanaka and Shibu seem to have a lot of foreign guests... I will probably have plenty of shoulder-to-shoulder time on the Alpen route with them/us so I'd prefer something geared more towards Japanese guests. Monkeys are cute but if choosing between a monkey bathing and my bathing, I'd prioritize me