Kodachi no Naka no Yado Seiryuso
木立の中の宿 清流荘
Does Kodachi no Naka no Yado Seiryuso allow tattoos? In a private bath
Seiryuso's bathhouse Yunokura holds twelve family baths, cypress, boulder and cut stone, each drained and refilled for the next party.
Seiryuso publishes no tattoo rule. Its bathhouse Yunokura rents twelve family baths by the room for 50 minutes, so a tattooed guest can bathe behind a locked door without using the shared baths. Rooms are not reserved ahead; you take the next free one.
The bath
The family bathhouse Yunokura is the reason to come. It has twelve private bathrooms, each built differently: cypress tubs, rock baths that use huge natural boulders, and cut-stone baths the inn says feel good underfoot. A room costs ¥1,800 for 50 minutes and ¥700 for each further 30 minutes. The tub is emptied and refilled for every party. Yunokura takes the last entry at 10 p.m. and closes at 11 p.m.; it opens at 10 a.m. There are no advance bookings, so rooms go in order of arrival. Several stay plans include one 50-minute session.
The water is Kikuchi Onsen's alkaline simple spring, 48.7°C and pH 9.2, which the inn calls silky and slippery and runs straight from the source. It lists neuralgia, stomach trouble, back pain, rheumatism, stiff shoulders and joint pain among its uses.
The shared baths are two indoor halls and two open-air baths in a separate building. Mahoroba-no-yu has a bare wall of giant rock rising behind the tub; Hibiki-no-yu is named for the sound of the water. Hotaru-no-yu looks down on the stream and was built by hand by a parent and child of the family over two years; Omoide-no-yu sits among trees within sound of the river. Staying guests use the indoor baths from 3 p.m. to 10 a.m. and the open-air baths from 3 to 11 p.m. and from sunrise to 10 a.m.
The hotel
A small country inn on the bank of the Hazama river, reached down a tree-shaded lane a little way out of the spa town. Rooms are Japanese style. Dinner is a creative kaiseki (a multi-course Japanese meal) of about twelve dishes served in a private dining room, with Kikuchi rice, mountain vegetables the owner gathers himself, and a meat and a fish main course that change with the season. There are plans with dinner only, and a midday rest plan for day visitors.
Good to know
- No reservations for the family baths, so arrive early on weekends; Yunokura has its own reception desk.
- Pick a plan with a family bath included and the first 50 minutes cost nothing extra.
- Day visitors on weekends and holidays can use the indoor baths only from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Getting there
From Kumamoto Station, the Kumamoto Dentetsu bus runs to Kikuchi Onsen in about 1 hour 20 minutes. The inn stands a little apart from the spa center and publishes no bus stop or walking time, so ask the inn how best to cover the last stretch. By car the inn gives about 20 minutes from the Ueki interchange, 40 minutes from the Kumamoto interchange and about two hours from Fukuoka on the expressway.
Kumamoto STN · Kumamoto Dentetsu bus to Kikuchi Onsen
The inn publishes no walking time from the bus.
About 1 hour 20 minutes by bus to Kikuchi Onsen; the inn gives no directions from the stop.
Where it is
Kikuchi Onsen bus stop
- Kyushu Shinkansen 40 min
- Kumamoto Dentetsu bus 1 hr 20 min
- Shinkansen tickets Seats between any two stations, booked by date.
- JR Kyushu Rail Pass from ¥12,000 · 3, 5 or 7 consecutive days Worth it if Kikuchi or Ueki is one stop in a longer Kyushu trip by train.
- 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 reserve a private bath.
How we know
Bath layout confirmed, tattoo policy not published Checked on the official site: (the Yunokura family-bath page and the hot spring page)
Best for: a couple or family who want a boulder-built private tub by the hour, with dinner in a private room afterward
Yunokura family baths: ¥1,800 a room for 50 minutes, ¥700 for each extra 30 minutes, from 10 a.m. to the last entry at 10 p.m., closing at 11 p.m.; the tub is drained and refilled for each party. No advance booking; rooms go in order of arrival. Several stay plans include one 50-minute family bath. The shared baths are two indoor halls and two open-air baths above the river; the open-air baths cost day visitors ¥600 (¥300 for children under junior-high age).
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