Kotohira Onsen Yume Sansui
琴ひら温泉 ゆめ山水
Does Kotohira Onsen Yume Sansui allow tattoos? In a private bath
Yume Sansui keeps 16 family baths along one stream in Kotohira, in seven kinds of tub from river stone to hollowed-out rock and cypress, rented by the hour to anyone who walks in.
Yume Sansui publishes no tattoo rule. It rents 16 family baths by the hour, so a tattooed bather can take one alone or with their own party instead of using the shared open-air baths.
The bath
The spring is a chloride and bicarbonate spring that the operator calls smooth and moisturizing, a bath for the skin. It lists it for fair, smooth skin, cuts, burns, neuralgia, muscle and joint pain, stiff shoulders, bruises, sprains, chronic digestive trouble and poor circulation. Four stone open-air baths line the Takase river, with the water flowing straight in. For men there is a big roofed bath, Norari-yu, built of river stones with an infinity edge on the stream, and Aun-no-yu, two tubs at different heights at the downstream end. For women there is Maru-yu, of round river stones, and Utakata-no-yu, a square stone tub with jets. Admission is ¥800, children ¥400; weekdays noon to 8:45 p.m., weekends and holidays 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
The 16 family baths are rented whole for 60 minutes: ¥2,500 on weekdays (¥2,000 for the room Kawasemi) and ¥3,000 on weekends and holidays. They come in seven tub types: river stone, mountain stone, iron pot, hollowed-out stone, wooden tub, cut stone and hinoki cypress. Each has a window on the greenery, air conditioning and a roomy changing area. They open 10 a.m. to 9:50 p.m. on weekdays and from 9 a.m. on weekends and holidays, last entry 8:50 p.m.
The hotel
Yume Sansui is a cluster of old-style buildings on the Takase river in Kotohira, on a quiet edge of Hita, with the day baths, two restaurants and two places to stay. One restaurant serves soba noodles made with 100 percent buckwheat; the other serves yakiniku and Korean dishes. The inn Hatago Kayausagi, a 120-year-old house about five minutes' walk away, and the on-site Kotohira Guest House both send their guests to the open-air baths. Parking for 60 cars is free and needs no booking.
Good to know
- Family baths open at 9 a.m. on weekends, two hours before the open-air baths.
- Ten visits earn a free family bath on the free members' card, good in any of the 16 rooms.
- The cheapest room is Kawasemi, ¥2,000 for an hour on weekdays.
- Set the old address in your car navigation if the new one fails: the operator gives Oaza Takase 1571-1 as the fallback.
Getting there
The operator puts the baths about 10 minutes by car from JR Hita Station and Hita Bus Terminal. By bus, take the city loop bus Hitahashiri, B course (the light blue bus), from Hita Bus Terminal to the Seiwamachi or Kotohira Kominkan-mae stop. Drivers are about 30 minutes from Yufuin IC and about an hour from Dazaifu IC.
Hita STN · JR Kyudai Main Line
The operator publishes no walking time.
About 10 minutes by car; city loop bus Hitahashiri, B course, to Seiwamachi or Kotohira Kominkan-mae.
Where it is
Hita 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
Skip the shared baths and reserve a private bath.
How we know
Bath layout confirmed, tattoo policy not published Checked on the official site (: the family bath page lists 16 family baths rented for 60 minutes)
Read on: kotohira-onsen.com/family_bath/
Best for: an hour in one of 16 family baths, from river stone to cypress, beside a mountain stream
Sixteen family baths in seven tub types (river stone, mountain stone, iron pot, hollowed-out stone, wooden tub, cut stone, hinoki cypress), all air-conditioned, 60 minutes a room: ¥2,500 on weekdays (¥2,000 for the room Kawasemi), ¥3,000 on weekends and holidays. Family baths 10 a.m. to 9:50 p.m. on weekdays and from 9 a.m. on weekends and holidays, last entry 8:50 p.m. Open-air baths ¥800 (¥1,000 at Golden Week, Obon and New Year), children ¥400. Free members’ card: a free family bath after ten visits. Free parking for 60 cars. Two places to stay on or near the grounds (the inn Hatago Kayausagi and Kotohira Guest House) share the open-air baths.
The map shows every hotel close by. We haven’t checked their tattoo rules: sleep there, bathe here. Search Booking.com instead
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For current hours and prices, see the official website.