Okina Ryokan
おきな旅館
Does Okina Ryokan allow tattoos? In a private bath
Okina names its two baths after schools of Noh and keeps a third, a dark cypress tub under a bamboo-screened window, free for any guest who finds it empty.
Okina publishes no tattoo rule. It has one cypress private bath, free and used without booking whenever it is empty, so a party can bathe alone in the inn's own source water.
The bath
Okina draws the Tennoji spring of upper Iizaka, an alkaline simple spring, and pours it into the tubs with no water added and no heating. The inn lists it for back pain, stiff shoulders, muscle and nerve pain, rheumatism, skin complaints and fatigue. It says people with skin trouble that doctors could not clear have long been told to go to Tennoji, and suggests staying about two nights; many guests fill bottles to take the water home.
The men's bath, Kanze-no-yu, and the women's bath, Hosho-no-yu, are named for two schools of Noh. Both are tiled indoor baths with big windows on the river and the hills, and the water pours from an old iron spout. There is no open-air bath.
The private bath is a dark cypress tub in a room of cream tiles, with a bamboo screen over the window and a wooden spout. It costs nothing and needs no booking: if it is empty, go in. All the baths are open 24 hours.
The hotel
A small inn on the Surikami River run by one family: the landlady meets guests at the front desk, and the young master, who holds sake and wine certificates, chooses the Fukushima sakes for dinner. Rooms are 10-mat Japanese rooms looking over the stream, Japanese-Western rooms with a bedroom, and rooms set aside for guests with pets. Up to two small dogs or cats may share the room, in a folding cage brought from home. The inn has cats of its own. Breakfast is served in the second-floor hall.
Good to know
- The cypress bath is first come, first served, free and open 24 hours.
- Pets stay in the room, small ones only, two at most, with a cage you bring.
- Bottles of spring water to take home are something the inn encourages.
Getting there
From Fukushima Station, take the Fukushima Kotsu Iizaka line to Iizaka-Onsen Station, about 22 minutes on the timetable. The inn publishes no walking time, no pickup and no taxi time from the station; it links to Fukushima Kotsu's bus pages. By car there is parking for 20 cars.
Iizaka-Onsen STN · Fukushima Kotsu Iizaka line
The inn publishes no walking time.
No pickup published; taxi or Fukushima Kotsu bus from the station.
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: travelers with a small dog or cat who want a free cypress bath to themselves
One cypress private bath, free, walk in when it is empty; the men's bath (Kanze-no-yu) and women's bath (Hosho-no-yu) are tiled indoor baths with river windows. All baths are 100 percent source water, with no water added and no heating, open 24 hours. There is no open-air bath. Small dogs or cats, up to two, may stay in the room; bring a folding cage. Breakfast is served in the second-floor hall. Parking for 20 cars.
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