Himeyado Hanakazashi
姫宿 花かざし
Does Himeyado Hanakazashi allow tattoos? In a private bath
Hanakazashi began as a women-only inn and has taken men as well since September 2023, with no children under 12. It has 16 rooms above Mikawa Bay, and its suites have an open-air tub of their own, filled with ordinary heated water.
The inn publishes no tattoo rule for its two large baths and says they cannot be reserved for private use. A handful of rooms have an open-air bath of their own, and those are the ones for a tattooed guest: the two Japanese-modern suites, the panorama Japanese room, the Japanese-style suite and the Japanese-style VIP room.
The bath
The rooms with a bath of their own are few. Two Japanese-modern suites have an open-air bath and a separate shower booth. One panorama Japanese room has an open-air bath, and so do the Japanese-style suite and the Japanese-style VIP room, which the inn sells for watching both sunset and sunrise. The facility page marks each of these private open-air baths as not hot spring water. The other rooms have an ordinary bathtub with a separate toilet.
The spring is in the two large baths on the 1st floor. One is built entirely of cypress, with a wide tub and an open-air bath, Tensho-no-yu, that looks over Mikawa Bay; the open-air bath is entered from the cypress hall. The other is a Japanese-style hall floored with tatami matting. The two swap between men and women the following day, so over a night's stay each guest sees both. Hours are 3 to 11 p.m. and 6 to 9 a.m., and the inn warns that on quiet days only one hall may be open. The water is Gamagori's Bihakusen, which the inn describes as a plain, clean-feeling alkaline simple spring. The large baths cannot be reserved for private use. Bring the towels from your room.
The hotel
The inn has 16 rooms and was opened as a women-only inn; since September 1, 2023 men may stay as well, and the inn now calls itself women-first. Children under 12 are not accepted, infants included. Rooms are Japanese-modern in pale colors, all facing Mikawa Bay, from a single room to suites. Dinner is a kaiseki course by the head chef, with allergies to be declared three days ahead. A photo studio lends wedding and cocktail dresses for pictures. On weekdays the whole inn can be rented by one group. Parking for 15 cars is free.
Good to know
- No children under 12, and the inn began as women-only.
- Suite tubs are heated water. The spring is in the two large baths, which swap sides each day.
- Take towels from your room to the large bath; none are set out there.
- The shared station bus is free for arrivals at Nishiura between 2:20 and 4:20 p.m.
Getting there
From Nagoya, take the JR Tokaido Line to Gamagori and the Meitetsu Gamagori Line to Nishiura, about 9 minutes by the inn's count. If your train reaches Nishiura between 2:20 and 4:20 p.m., board the Nishiura Onsen association bus waiting in front of the station; it is free. For any other train, tell the inn your arrival time and it will send a car. From Tokyo the inn suggests the Hikari to Toyohashi, about 1 hour 25 minutes, then about 10 minutes on the Tokaido Line to Gamagori.
Nishiura STN · Meitetsu Gamagori Line
Not walkable.
Free association bus for arrivals from 2:20 to 4:20 p.m.; at other times the inn collects guests on request.
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
Bath layout confirmed, tattoo policy not published Checked on the official site (rooms page and facility page):
Best for: couples or women traveling together who want a 16-room inn and a suite with its own open-air tub over the bay
The inn states that the private open-air baths in its suites and its VIP room are not hot spring water. The suites also have a separate shower booth. The two large baths, which carry the Bihakusen spring, swap between men and women the next day and are open 3 to 11 p.m. and 6 to 9 a.m. The inn does not accept children under 12. It was a women-only inn until September 1, 2023, and now calls itself a women-first inn that men may use too.
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