Takumi no Kokoro Yoshikawaya
匠のこころ 吉川屋
Does Takumi no Kokoro Yoshikawaya allow tattoos? In a private bath
Yoshikawaya's private bath, Yuno, pairs a tiled indoor tub with a deck-side open-air tub over the Surikami River gorge, and it is built so a wheelchair can roll from one to the other.
Yoshikawaya publishes no tattoo rule. It rents a private bath, Yuno, with an indoor tub and an open-air tub, for 45 minutes at ¥2,750 per group, booked at the front desk. Five guest rooms also have their own open-air bath of source-flowing spring water.
The bath
Yoshikawaya has its own source, a mildly alkaline simple spring that comes up at 61°C, 60 to 70 liters a minute. The inn keeps the baths at about 41°C, calls the water smooth and gentle enough for a baby's first bath, and lists it for skin complaints, rheumatism, joint pain and fatigue. Two large baths, Touta-no-yu and Benten-no-yu, look out over the gorge; Benten-no-yu has a big stone tub and a cypress tub. Two rock open-air baths, Saruami-no-yu and Kamoshika-no-yu, sit by the Surikami River, and the inn says serows sometimes come to the far bank. The sides swap morning and night, and all four are open from 2 p.m. to midnight and 5 to 10 a.m.
The private bath, Yuno, is named for the district and for the Roman goddess Juno. It has a tiled indoor tub with a handrail and an open-air tub on a wooden deck facing the wooded gorge, with no step between them. It costs ¥2,750 per group for 45 minutes, in hourly slots from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m., booked at the front desk. Showing a disability certificate doubles the time to 90 minutes.
Five rooms have their own source-flowing open-air bath. Three in the Kounkaku wing, Wakaba, Aoba and Momiji, have a cypress tub and no indoor bath. Two special rooms in the Ryounkaku wing have a cypress tub or a rock tub.
The hotel
The inn says it was founded in 1841 and is still run on the same welcome. Rooms run from 12-mat Japanese rooms over the gorge and Japanese-bed rooms to an executive ninth floor of three suites, plus barrier-free rooms with handrails and a light-and-sound door chime. Dinner is served in the Matsukaze restaurant or private dining rooms, with Fukushima beef and seasonal Tohoku produce. All rooms are non-smoking, with free Wi-Fi.
Good to know
- A scheduled bus waits at Iizaka-Onsen Station, leaving at 2:50 and 3:15 p.m., with no call needed.
- Book Yuno at the front desk, in hourly slots from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m.
- Baby baths and bath chairs are kept in the large baths for small children.
Getting there
From Fukushima Station, take the Fukushima Kotsu Iizaka line to Iizaka-Onsen Station, about 23 minutes. The inn's scheduled bus leaves the station at 2:50 and 3:15 p.m.; after that, phone the inn and a car comes in under 10 minutes, until 6 p.m. A taxi or the inn's car takes about 5 minutes. The next morning a shuttle runs back to the station every 30 minutes.
Iizaka-Onsen STN · Fukushima Kotsu Iizaka line
Not walkable.
Inn bus at 2:50 and 3:15 p.m., or a car on call until 6 p.m., about 5 minutes.
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
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 bath page, the rooms page and the FAQ);
Best for: travelers who want a cypress tub on their own balcony over the Surikami River gorge, or a wheelchair-accessible private bath
Private bath Yuno: an indoor tub and an open-air tub, step-free between them, with a barrier-free toilet, call button and shower chair; a bath wheelchair is on loan. ¥2,750 per group for 45 minutes, in hourly slots from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m., booked at the front desk; 90 minutes on showing a disability certificate. Five rooms with an open-air bath, all source-flowing: three in the Kounkaku wing (Wakaba, Aoba, Momiji) with a cypress tub and no indoor bath, and two special rooms in the Ryounkaku wing, a Japanese-Western room with a cypress tub and a Japanese room with a rock tub. Shared baths swap between men and women morning and night; saunas in both large baths, 3 p.m. to midnight. Day bathing Sundays only, 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., ¥1,200. All rooms non-smoking. Free parking for 150 cars.
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