Bessho Onsen Midoriya
別所温泉 緑屋
Does Bessho Onsen Midoriya allow tattoos? In a private bath
Every bath at Midoriya is a private one, so you never bathe with strangers. The three baths are free to staying guests and can’t be booked: go in whenever the sign at the door shows one is empty.
The inn has no shared bath at all, so it has no tattoo rule to publish. Each private bath is an indoor tub with an open-air tub beside it.
The bath
The three private baths are Momiji-no-yu, Sansui-no-yu and Matsu-no-yu, in a row off the ground-floor dining room. Each has an indoor tub and an open-air tub looking onto the garden, designed by Kazuyuki Ishihara, a gold medalist at the Chelsea Flower Show. They’re open all night, from check-in until 11 a.m. the next morning, and are cleaned from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
They’re first come, first served. The inn suggests about 30 minutes, with no limit if nobody is waiting, and you can check on your phone which baths are free. Staying guests use them at no charge, as often as they like.
The water is a mild, skin-softening sulfur spring, fully free-flowing. There are no towels at the baths, so bring the ones from your room.
The hotel
Midoriya opened on August 5, 2023 and belongs to the Jinya group. It has 11 rooms: ten Western-style rooms in four types, for two to four people, and a glamping tent 7 meters across with its own garden and fire pit. Rooms have a shower and toilet but no tub, and the tent’s guests use the same private baths. Check-in is 3:30 p.m., and checkout is 11 a.m.
Dinner is a kaiseki course in the ground-floor dining room, starting between 5:30 p.m. and 7 p.m. Breakfast is 8 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. The fridge in each room is stocked with free water, soft drinks, beer and canned sours, and the dining room has a free drinks corner. Parking is free, with 15 spaces in two lots a minute’s walk away, and there are two free EV chargers.
Good to know
- No day bathing. The baths are for staying guests only.
- No elevator. The inn is reached by stairs and has no accessible rooms.
- Free laundry. Washer-dryers by the private baths are free around the clock. Pets can’t stay.
Getting there
Bessho-Onsen STN · Ueda Electric Railway Bessho line
About 7 minutes on foot.
From Tokyo, take the Hokuriku Shinkansen to Ueda, about 1 hour 25 minutes. At Ueda, change to the Ueda Electric Railway Bessho line and ride it to the end of the line at Bessho-Onsen, about 30 minutes. Drivers come off the Joshin-etsu Expressway at Ueda-Sugadaira.
Where it is
Bessho-Onsen STN
- Hokuriku Shinkansen 1 hr 25 min
- Ueda Electric Railway 27 min
- Shinkansen tickets Seats between any two stations, booked by date.
- JR East Pass from ¥35,000 · 5 or 10 consecutive days Covers the Hokuriku Shinkansen from Tokyo to Ueda.
- Japan Rail Pass from ¥53,000 · 7, 14 or 21 days For a trip that takes in several regions by Shinkansen and JR lines.
What happens when you arrive
Use any private bath whose door sign shows it’s free. No booking and no fee; take towels from your room.
How we know
Bath layout confirmed, tattoo policy not published Checked on the official site (the inn’s hot spring page and FAQ describe three private baths and no shared bath)
Best for: couples and families who want to bathe as often as they like without ever sharing the water
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