Ryokan Matsunoyu
旅館 松乃湯
Does Ryokan Matsunoyu allow tattoos? In a private bath
Matsunoyu, founded in 1895 by the man who found Ueki's spring in the river, gives staying guests two free family baths, one a glossy red tub under dark cedar walls.
Matsunoyu publishes no tattoo rule. Staying guests can use its two private family baths free, booked for a set time, and the one special room has its own open-air and indoor spring baths, so a tattooed guest has a way to bathe without sharing.
The bath
Matsunoyu keeps two private family baths for staying guests, free of charge: one on the second floor of the guest wing and one beside the entrance, each with its own washing area. The inn's photos show one with a glossy red oval tub on a dark slate floor and the other with a long amber ceramic tub, both under dark cedar walls. Guests who book on the inn's own site get priority and can choose their time when they reserve. The one special room, added in 2015, has an open-air bath and an indoor bath of its own, filled straight from the source, to use as often as you like.
The inn was founded in 1895 by the man who first found hot water in the river at Ueki, and the open-air bath, Tenta-no-yu, is named after him; it was rebuilt in 2015 and runs on 100 percent source water. The second shared bath, Iyashi-an, is semi-open-air, and the inn says sitting in it with paper screens behind you feels like soaking in a room. Each side has one indoor and one open-air bath. The inn describes the water as alkaline, around pH 8.0, with a smooth feel that takes off old skin; its listed uses include joint and back pain, fatigue and the skin. Baths open from check-in to 11 p.m. and 6 to 9 a.m. Day visitors may use the shared baths from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. for ¥500.
The hotel
A family-run inn the owners call homely rather than grand, in the farmland of Ueki by the Goshi river. There are ten Japanese rooms, from one-person rooms to 16 mats for groups of up to eight, all with a toilet, and the special room of 10 mats plus a bed space with two semi-double beds. Dinner is kaiseki (a multi-course Japanese meal) of local food: horse sashimi, Fujiaya wagyu raised at the foot of Aso, and seafood from Amakusa. Breakfast is home cooking. There is a banquet hall with a stage and karaoke, a souvenir corner and a lounge.
Good to know
- Book on the inn's own site to fix a family-bath time when you reserve.
- Check in between 4 and 5:30 p.m., or by 10 p.m. on room-only and breakfast plans.
- Free parking for 30 cars, first come, first served.
Getting there
Matsunoyu describes the drive: from the Ueki interchange on the Kyushu Expressway head toward Yamaga, turn right at the third light (Ueki-machi Toyoda), follow route 53, turn left at the corner with a Lawson, and the inn is just across the bridge. Without a car, the inn points to the Hinokuni highway bus from Hakata bus terminal or Nishitetsu Tenjin to the Ueki interchange stop. It gives no minutes for either, and no route from JR Ueki Station.
Ueki STN · JR Kagoshima main line
Not walkable.
The inn names the Hinokuni highway bus to the Ueki interchange stop; it gives no times.
Where it is
- Kyushu Shinkansen 40 min
- JR Kagoshima line 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 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 hot spring page and the facilities page)
Best for: travelers who want a free private bath in Ueki's oldest inn, with horse sashimi at dinner
Two family baths with washing areas, one on the second floor of the guest wing and one beside the entrance, for staying guests only and free; booking direct on the inn's site gives priority and lets you pick the time when you reserve. One special room (2015) has its own open-air and indoor baths fed straight from the source, for two or three guests. Ten Japanese rooms have a toilet but no bath. Baths open from check-in to 11 p.m. and 6 to 9 a.m. Day visitors can use the shared baths 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. from ¥500. Check-in 4 to 5:30 p.m. (to 10 p.m. on room-only and breakfast plans), check-out 10 a.m. Bathing tax ¥150. Free parking for 30 cars.
Book your stay
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