Keien Hananose
渓苑 花の瀬
Does Keien Hananose allow tattoos? In a private bath
Hananose rents its family bath, a dark stone tub on a railed balcony across from a sheer rock face of the Anahara gorge, by the hour to one party at a time.
Hananose publishes no tattoo rule. Its family bath, an open-air tub on a balcony over the gorge, can be rented for an hour by one family or group for ¥2,200, so a party can bathe without sharing.
The bath
Hananose sits on the Anahara stretch of the Surikami River, upstream of central Iizaka. Its water is a mildly alkaline simple spring that leaves the source at 63°C, and the inn calls it soft enough for children and the elderly. It lists rheumatism, digestive complaints, skin conditions, women's complaints and bruises.
There are men's and women's open-air baths, rock pools behind iron railings with the cliffs of the gorge behind, and men's and women's indoor baths with long windows on the valley, with a jet bath among the extras. The inn and its sister, Sanbo Tsukinose, share their baths, so a guest at either can use both.
The family bath is the private option. It is a dark stone tub on a railed balcony beside a stone wall, looking straight across at a sheer rock face. One family or group takes it for an hour at a time, for ¥2,200, and Tsukinose guests may book it as well.
The hotel
Hananose is run by the Anahara Hotel company. Every room looks onto the Surikami River. Rooms range from Japanese rooms of various sizes to Japanese-Western rooms with an 11.5-mat room, a twin bedroom with Simmons beds and an indoor bath, and special rooms with a cypress bath. The public rooms are decorated in what the inn calls an exotic, romantic style, with a banquet hall named Rokumeikan, two karaoke salons and a coffee lounge.
Good to know
- The family bath costs ¥2,200 for an hour, for one family or group.
- Two inns' baths for one stay, since Hananose and Tsukinose guests may use both.
- Free parking for 200 cars, first come, first served.
Getting there
From Fukushima Station, take the Fukushima Kotsu Iizaka line to Iizaka-Onsen Station, the last stop, about 20 minutes by the inn's count. The inn picks guests up at Iizaka-Onsen Station; the drive takes about 5 minutes. By car it is about 10 minutes from the Fukushima-Iizaka interchange of the Tohoku Expressway.
Iizaka-Onsen STN · Fukushima Kotsu Iizaka line
Not walkable by the inn's directions.
Inn pickup from the station, about 5 minutes by car.
Where it is
Iizaka-Onsen STN
- Tohoku Shinkansen 1 hr 35 min from Tokyo
- Iizaka line 23 min
- Shinkansen tickets Seats between any two stations, booked by date.
- JR East Pass from ¥35,000 · 5 or 10 consecutive days Covers the Shinkansen from Tokyo to Fukushima, the Yamabiko or the Tsubasa.
- 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 (the bath page);
Best for: families or small groups who want an hour alone in a balcony tub facing a cliff of the gorge
Family bath: one hour per rental, one family or group, ¥2,200; guests of the sister inn Sanbo Tsukinose may use it too. The inn does not say how to book it. Guests of either inn may also use both inns' large baths. Special rooms have a cypress bath; the inn does not say whether that tub is spring water. Free parking for 200 cars, first come. Pickup from Iizaka-Onsen Station.
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