Tennomaru
天の丸
Does Tennomaru allow tattoos? Yes!
Tennomaru stands on a 380-meter hilltop above Gamagori, and its bath page says in one line that tattooed guests may bathe. The spring water is in the open-air tubs on the 4th floor, which look over the town lights and Mikawa Bay.
The inn's bath page lists tattoos as allowed in the baths, with no cover asked for and no hours attached. That line sits under the list of every bath in the building: the two view open-air baths, the two large baths and the two private open-air baths. The baths are for staying guests only at present.
The bath
The spring here is Gamagori's Bihakusen, an alkaline simple spring that comes out of the ground at 28.9°C. The inn calls it a beauty bath, clear and soft on the skin, and lists it for neuralgia, muscle and joint pain, frozen shoulder, bruises and sprains, chronic digestive trouble, cold sensitivity and recovery from fatigue. It runs only to the open-air tubs.
Two view open-air baths sit on the 4th floor. Southern Cross faces Mikawa Bay, and Swan Cross looks over the water by day and the town lights after dark. Both are open 3 to 11 p.m. and 6 to 9 a.m. The two large baths, Mikawa-no-yu and Aoi-no-yu, are in the basement behind big windows on the bay and keep the same hours; the inn states that their water is not hot spring water.
Two private open-air baths on the 4th floor, Sapphire and Topaz, take the spring. Each is booked for 45 minutes at ¥3,300, from 3 to 10 p.m., and neither is open to day visitors. The Geshokyu rooms have an open-air tub on a 7.2-square-meter terrace, and the inn says that tub is not hot spring water.
The hotel
Tennomaru belongs to Kaiei Ryokans, a group that markets its inns for anniversaries. Every room has a wide view over the woods to Gamagori and the bay. Room types run from the Geshokyu Japanese-Western rooms with a low bed and a terrace tub, through the plain Japanese Nanseikyu rooms and corner suites, to single rooms on the mountain side with no view. Dinner is in the restaurant Hoshi-no-fune, which looks over the night view. Older car navigation units may still show the building's former name, Mikawa Heights.
Good to know
- The large baths are not spring water. For the hot spring, use the open-air tubs on the 4th floor.
- Private open-air baths cost ¥3,300 for 45 minutes, by reservation, between 3 and 10 p.m.
- The free shuttle runs only when booked, leaving stand 4 at Gamagori Station's south exit at 2:30 and 4:30 p.m.
- Telescopes are lent out for the viewing deck, where the inn holds its stargazing.
Getting there
From Nagoya, the JR Tokaido Line new rapid service bound for Toyohashi reaches Gamagori in about 40 minutes. The inn's free shuttle leaves stand 4 at the station's south exit at 2:30 and 4:30 p.m. and takes about 20 minutes; it runs only for guests who have reserved a seat. From Tokyo, the inn suggests the Hikari Shinkansen to Toyohashi, about 1 hour 20 minutes, then 15 minutes on the Tokaido Line to Gamagori. Parking for 100 cars is free.
Gamagori STN · JR Tokaido Line
Not walkable.
Free shuttle from stand 4 at the south exit at 2:30 and 4:30 p.m., reservation needed, about 20 minutes.
Where it is
Hotel shuttle stop
- JR Tokaido line 45 min
- inn's shuttle about 20 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
Check in and go to the bath. There's no seal to buy and nothing to mention at the front desk.
How we know
Confirmed from official site (the facility list at the foot of the inn's bath page)
タトゥー・入れ墨の入浴可
The operator’s own wording. Show it if anyone asks.
Best for: bathing with tattoos uncovered in an open-air tub that looks down on Gamagori and Mikawa Bay at night
Only the open-air baths carry hot spring water: the view open-air baths Southern Cross and Swan Cross on the 4th floor and the two private open-air baths. The inn says its large baths, Mikawa-no-yu and Aoi-no-yu in the basement, are not hot spring water, and that the open-air tubs in the Geshokyu rooms are not hot spring water either. Private open-air baths: 45 minutes for 3,300 yen, by reservation, 3 to 10 p.m. Day-use bathing is suspended for now.
Book your stay
- BBooking.comCheck availability
- AAgodaCheck availability
- KKlookCheck availability
Booking through these links costs you nothing extra and earns us a small commission, which keeps this guide free and up to date for our tattoo community. Thanks for your support.