Kajitsu no Yama Azumaya
果実の山 あづま屋
Does Kajitsu no Yama Azumaya allow tattoos? In a private bath
Azumaya runs untouched source water into two private open-air baths, one of cypress and one of granite, and into the terrace tubs of four suites built in a Nordic-Japanese style.
Azumaya publishes no tattoo rule. It has two private open-air baths, one of cypress and one of granite, used in 45-minute slots, and four suites with an open-air tub of source water on their own terrace.
The bath
The inn calls its water Tsuruhagi-no-yu, the old name of the Kaminoyama spring, and describes it as a pale cobalt blue. It is a weak salt spring, listed as sodium-calcium chloride, and the inn says it is 100 percent source-fed with no heating and no added water. It lists fatigue, women's complaints, rheumatism and nerve pain, and says the salt keeps the body warm long after the bath. The seventh-floor view bath, Keishiki-no-yu, has a tatami-mat floor, which the inn says was a first for Kaminoyama, and looks over the town to the foot of Mt. Zao. The open-air bath Soyokaze faces the Tenjin woods. Both sexes have a sauna, and two massage chairs wait in the lounge after the bath. Baths are open 5 a.m. to 1 a.m.
The two private open-air baths come in cypress and in granite, and run in 45-minute slots that the inn says fill with bookings, so ask early at the front desk. They are free on the Yuagari Manki plan. Four suites have their own terrace with an open-air tub of source water, open whenever you like: the Premium Suites Kajitsu no Hana and Kajitsu no Ki, and the Junior Suites Kajitsu no Tsuki and Kajitsu no Hoshi.
The hotel
Azumaya has 56 rooms in 13 types, from Japanese rooms of 12 mats and Western singles to the four suites, which mix Nordic and Japanese design with Simmons beds. The whole building is non-smoking, with smoking booths on the first and seventh floors. The lounge looks onto a lit garden, and the inclusive plan adds free-flowing drinks there and in the banquet hall. There is a comic library of 10,000 volumes, free colored yukata (a light cotton robe), table tennis and a barrier-free dining room. Check-in is 3 to 6 p.m., check-out 10 a.m.
Good to know
- Two private open-air baths, cypress or granite, in 45-minute slots that fill early.
- Four suites with a terrace tub, source water, open whenever you like.
- A 10,000-volume comic library, open 3 to 10 p.m., and you can take books to your room.
Getting there
From Yamagata Station, take the JR Ou line or the Yamagata Shinkansen to Kaminoyama-Onsen Station; the inn publishes no time for that leg. From the station the walk is about 10 minutes and a car about 3. The inn runs a free pickup from 2 to 5 p.m. and drop-offs at 8:30, 9:30 and 10:30 a.m.; book ahead or phone on arrival.
Kaminoyama-Onsen STN · JR Yamagata Shinkansen / Ou line
About 10 minutes.
Free pickup from 2 to 5 p.m., booked ahead; a car takes about 3 minutes.
Where it is
Kaminoyama-Onsen STN
- Shinkansen tickets Seats between any two stations, booked by date.
- JR East Pass from ¥35,000 · 5 or 10 consecutive days Covers the whole train ride: the Tsubasa, the Yamagata Shinkansen, runs from Tokyo to Kaminoyama-Onsen with no change.
- Zao Fox Village and Ginzan Onsen day trip The Zao Fox Village and Ginzan Onsen, from Sendai.
- 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 hot spring page and the suites page)
Best for: families who want a private open-air bath slot and an inn with a drinks lounge and a comic library
The two private open-air baths run in 45-minute slots; the timetable on the bath page lists ten, starting on the hour from 3 p.m. to midnight. They are free on the inn's Yuagari Manki plan; the inn publishes no price for other guests. Ask at the front desk early, as slots fill. Four suites have a terrace with an open-air tub of 100 percent source water: two Premium Suites, Kajitsu no Hana and Kajitsu no Ki (two to five guests), and two Junior Suites, Kajitsu no Tsuki and Kajitsu no Hoshi (two to four). The inn says its water is never heated or diluted. Large bath and open-air bath 5 a.m. to 1 a.m.; sauna 1 to 9 p.m. Check-in 3 p.m. (last 6 p.m.), check-out 10 a.m.
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