Ukiha Bekkan Shinshiyo
浮羽別館 新紫陽
Does Ukiha Bekkan Shinshiyo allow tattoos? In a private bath
Shinshiyo stands on the highest ground in Amagase Onsen, hung with a hundred hydrangea paintings, and its deck rooms put an open-air tub above the gorge.
Shinshiyo publishes no tattoo rule. Four room types have an open-air bath on their own deck, and the inn has a private open-air bath and a private hot spring room, Skyspot, that it sells to its staying guests, so a tattooed guest can avoid the shared baths.
The bath
The inn has its own source. The large bath has a view over the Kusu river, which runs through the middle of the onsen town, and a cliff of bamboo opposite. A corridor planted with hydrangeas leads down to the forest open-air baths, Tenko-no-yu for men and Takimi-no-yu for women; the inn says Tenko-no-yu is the highest open-air bath in the town, and Takimi-no-yu hears a waterfall over the stream. Day visitors bathe 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. for ¥800, children ¥400.
Four room types have an open-air bath on their own deck. Futen is a Japanese-Western room with a Hollywood twin, 8 mats and an 18-square-meter deck; Fugetsu is an 8-mat Japanese room with an 18-square-meter deck; Tsukiakari and Tsukisekai are Western rooms with a queen bed and a 9-square-meter deck. The inn does not say whether these tubs carry the spring.
At the far end of the hydrangea corridor sits the private open-air bath Seoto-no-yu, which the inn calls a hideaway. Day visitors may rent it for ¥2,000 before tax plus ¥800 a head. Skyspot, a relaxation room with its own flowing hot spring open-air bath, is sold to Shinshiyo's staying guests at ¥6,000 for two people for two hours, ¥1,500 for each extra adult, between 3 and 9 p.m.; book it at the front desk by 6:30 p.m.
The hotel
Shinshiyo is the annex of Ukiha, a riverside inn in the same town, and stands on high ground looking over Amagase. Its name means new hydrangea, and the inn hangs a hundred hydrangea paintings and uses the flower on its dishes and fittings; hydrangeas fill the grounds in June. There are 20 rooms: 13 Japanese, 5 Japanese-Western and 2 Western, all non-smoking. Meals are Japanese cooking of local river fish and mountain vegetables, served in seven private dining rooms or a 16-seat restaurant. There is a cafe that also serves matcha. Check-in 3 p.m., check-out 10 a.m.
Good to know
- Skyspot must be booked by 6:30 p.m. at the front desk, for use between 3 and 9 p.m.
- Check-out is 10 a.m., an hour earlier than many inns.
- The hydrangea corridor blooms in June on the walk down to the forest baths.
- Free Wi-Fi in every room, and free parking.
Getting there
From Hita Station ride the JR Kyudai line three stations on to Amagase Station, about 12 minutes by limited express. The inn is about 11 minutes on foot from JR Amagase Station and publishes no shuttle. Parking is free.
Amagase STN · JR Kyudai Main Line
About 11 minutes, by the inns' shared access page.
No shuttle published; free parking.
Where it is
Amagase STN
- Shinkansen tickets Seats between any two stations, booked by date.
- JR Kyushu Rail Pass from ¥12,000 · 3, 5 or 7 consecutive days Worth it if Hita is one stop on a longer Kyushu trip by train.
- Yufuin and Hita day tour Yufuin and Hita in a day, with the Yufuin no Mori train as an option.
- 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 the bath in your room, or reserve a private bath at the front desk.
How we know
Bath layout confirmed, tattoo policy not published Checked on the official site (: the inn's page lists four room types with an open-air bath and a private open-air bath; the Skyspot page gives its terms)
Best for: a deck tub above the Amagase gorge, in an inn decorated top to bottom with hydrangeas
Rooms with an open-air bath: Futen (Japanese-Western, Hollywood twin and 8 mats, 18 m2 deck), Fugetsu (8-mat Japanese room, 18 m2 deck) and the Western rooms Tsukiakari and Tsukisekai (queen bed, 9 m2 deck). The inn does not say whether the room tubs carry spring water. Private open-air bath Seoto-no-yu at the far end of the hydrangea corridor; day visitors may rent it for ¥2,000 before tax plus ¥800 per person, and the inn publishes no terms for staying guests. Skyspot, a relaxation room with a private flowing hot spring open-air bath, is sold to Shinshiyo guests: ¥6,000 for two people for two hours, 3 to 9 p.m., booked at the front desk by 6:30 p.m. Day bathing 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., ¥800. Check-in 3 p.m., check-out 10 a.m.
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