Shinmatsuba Ryokan
新松葉旅館
Does Shinmatsuba Ryokan allow tattoos? In a private bath
Shinmatsuba's family bath is a marble tub the inn says was set in place in 1915, behind stained-glass partitions, and any guest can lock its door for free, day or night.
Shinmatsuba publishes no tattoo rule. Its marble family bath locks from inside and is free around the clock, and its open-air bath above a waterfall can also be taken privately for about 40 minutes outside the winter months.
The bath
The inn's water is Iizaka's blended source, a colorless alkaline simple spring at 55°C with a pH of 8.5, run through every tub with nothing done to it. The inn calls it soft on the skin and lists nerve pain, rheumatism, fatigue, stomach and liver complaints, burns and wounds.
There is a men's bath and a women's bath, both with one-way glass so bathers can look out, and two stone open-air baths on the ground floor looking down on a waterfall, with autumn leaves, fresh green or snow depending on the season. In winter only one open-air bath is open.
The family bath is the inn's pride. Its marble, the inn says, was laid in 1915 and is now a rare stone; the tub sits behind partitions of stained glass with plant motifs. The door locks, the bath is free, and it can be used at any hour. The open-air bath can also be taken privately for about 40 minutes, except from December to February.
The hotel
Shinmatsuba has 17 rooms for up to 70 guests, and every room faces the Surikami River, which runs through the middle of Iizaka. There is a hall for 50. Dinner is kaiseki (a multi-course Japanese meal), and the inn makes a point of ingredients few people have tried: set menus built around ostrich, sweet potato, cactus, kangaroo or gamecock.
Good to know
- The marble family bath locks from inside, free, 24 hours a day.
- No private open-air bath in winter, from December through February.
- Bathing tax is extra, ¥150 per person.
Getting there
From Fukushima Station, take the Fukushima Kotsu Iizaka line to Iizaka-Onsen Station, 23 minutes by the inn's count. The inn stands by the Surikami River near the station but publishes no walking time and no pickup. By car it is about 6 minutes from the Fukushima-Iizaka interchange, with parking for about 20 cars.
Iizaka-Onsen STN · Fukushima Kotsu Iizaka line
The inn publishes no walking time.
No pickup published; a short taxi ride 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 a private bath.
How we know
Bath layout confirmed, tattoo policy not published Checked on the official site (the home page, the bath pages and the guide page);
Best for: travelers curious about old Iizaka who want a free private soak in a marble tub
Baths: one men's, one women's, the marble family bath, and two open-air baths (one in winter). The family bath is free and can be locked 24 hours. Private use of the open-air bath is about 40 minutes and is not offered from December to February. All baths are 100 percent spring water, source-flowing. 17 rooms, all facing the Surikami River. Parking for about 20 cars. Bathing tax of ¥150 is charged separately. The kitchen serves set dinners built around ostrich, sweet potato, cactus, kangaroo or gamecock.
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