Shunkei Roman Gimpaso
旬景浪漫 銀波荘
Does Shunkei Roman Gimpaso allow tattoos? In a private bath
Gimpaso is a 47-room inn on the water at Nishiura whose FAQ sends tattooed guests to the private open-air baths on its top floor. Those tubs face Mikawa Bay and the evening sky, and the inn says plainly that their water is not the hot spring.
The inn answers the tattoo question by pointing to its private open-air baths: there, it says, guests with tattoos can bathe without a second thought. It gives no permission for the large baths, so plan on the private baths or a room with its own tub. The private baths are on the top floor, 50 minutes at 1,100 yen a person for staying guests.
Show this at the front desk
タトゥー・刺青があっても温泉に入れますか？貸切露天風呂でしたら、タトゥー・刺青がある方も気兼ねなくご利用いただけます。3つの貸切露天風呂をご用意しております。
The operator’s own wording, to show at the desk if you need to.
The bath
The private open-air baths are on the top floor, facing straight out over Mikawa Bay. The inn calls them the best private baths in the Gamagori hot spring area and suggests them for couples, friends and families. Staying guests reserve at the front desk once they have arrived; advance booking is not taken. A slot is 50 minutes at ¥1,100 a person, from 3 to 10:40 p.m. and again from 6:45 to 7:50 a.m. Towels, lotion and a razor are set out. The inn says the water in these tubs is not hot spring water. The same is true of the open-air baths in the guest rooms, which have a washing area of their own.
The spring runs only to the two large baths on the 3rd floor of the Tenyukaku wing. It is Bihakusen, an alkaline simple spring found in 1998 at 1,200 meters down, 27°C at the source and brought up to bathing temperature. The inn lists it for frozen shoulder, cold sensitivity and fatigue. The women's hall, Kazesumi-no-yu, has a mist sauna and a jacuzzi; the men's, Kosai-no-yu, has an open-air tub, a sauna and a jacuzzi. Hours are 6 to 9:30 a.m. and 11 a.m. to midnight. Day visitors may use the large baths from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. for ¥1,500 or from 3 to 7 p.m. for ¥1,800, without booking.
The hotel
Gimpaso has 47 rooms in three buildings. Tenyukaku holds the front desk, the large baths and suites with an open-air bath up to the 8th floor. Kaibokaku has Japanese rooms, twins and rooms with a half-open-air bath. Kochuan is a detached house of suites with open-air baths. The inn says every room looks onto Mikawa Bay and all are non-smoking. Dinner is usually served in private dining rooms, starting between 6 and 8 p.m. Solo guests are taken on weekdays only, and pets are not. Check-in is 3 p.m. and check-out 10 a.m.
Good to know
- Private baths are booked at the desk on arrival, not in advance, at ¥1,100 a person for 50 minutes.
- The private and room tubs are not spring water. The spring is in the large baths on the 3rd floor only.
- Day visitors can reserve a private bath too: ¥2,200 a person with towels, 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., booked ahead.
- Shuttle from Nishiura Station at 2:20, 2:50, 3:20, 3:50 and 4:20 p.m.; ask ahead for other times.
Getting there
From Nagoya, take the JR Tokaido Line to Gamagori, about 45 minutes by the inn's count, then the Meitetsu Gamagori Line to Nishiura, about 10 minutes. The shuttle from Nishiura Station takes about 8 minutes and meets trains at 2:20, 2:50, 3:20, 3:50 and 4:20 p.m.; for any other time, reserve it with the inn. Return runs leave at 9, 10 and 11 a.m. From Tokyo the inn suggests the Hikari Shinkansen to Toyohashi, about 1 hour 26 minutes, then 10 minutes on the Tokaido Line to Gamagori.
Nishiura STN · Meitetsu Gamagori Line
Not walkable.
Shuttle from the station, about 8 minutes, at set times from 2:20 to 4:20 p.m.; other times by reservation.
Where it is
Hotel shuttle stop
- JR Tokaido line 45 min
- Meitetsu Gamagori line 10 min
- inns' free microbus 5 to 10 min
- Shinkansen tickets Seats between any two stations, booked by date.
- JR Mt. Fuji-Shizuoka Area Tourist Pass Mini ¥6,500 · 3 consecutive days Worth it only if Shizuoka or Mount Fuji is on the same trip.
- 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
Skip the shared baths and use one of the private baths. No reservation needed.
How we know
Confirmed from official site (the inn's FAQ, which takes the tattoo question directly)
Best for: a private open-air bath over Mikawa Bay at sunset, booked at the desk on the day
The inn says its private open-air baths and its room baths are not hot spring water; only the large baths on the 3rd floor carry the spring. Staying guests book a private bath at the front desk after arriving, not ahead: 50 minutes, 1,100 yen a person, 3 to 10:40 p.m. and 6:45 to 7:50 a.m. Day visitors book ahead through the reservation center: 2,200 yen a person for 50 minutes with towels, 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., or 1,700 yen with lunch. Rooms with an open-air bath are in all three wings, among them the detached Kochuan suites.
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