Yurutto-tei Sakurazaka
湯るっと邸 桜坂
Does Yurutto-tei Sakurazaka allow tattoos? In a private bath
Each of Sakurazaka's eleven cottages, named for a flower, has an open-air bath, an indoor bath and an 8-mat living room, rented whole by the hour.
Sakurazaka publishes no tattoo rule, and it has no shared bath: every one of its eleven cottages is rented whole by the hour, with its own open-air and indoor bath, so a tattooed bather never shares the water.
The bath
Sakurazaka is a cluster of eleven bath cottages, each named for a flower, and you rent a whole cottage rather than a seat in a shared bath. Every cottage has an open-air bath, an indoor bath, a changing room and an 8-mat living room with a sink, television, air conditioning, hair dryer and toilet. Anemone, Hibiscus, Cosmos and Pansy have a standard open-air bath; Sakura, Satsuki, Bara, Himawari and Tsubaki have a larger one. The two special cottages, Sweet Pea and Margaret, add a raised tatami corner and an open-air bath on a wooden deck.
Each cottage is sized for two adults and two children. The standard cottages cost ¥2,500 for an hour and the special ones ¥3,500, with ¥1,000 for each extra 30 minutes. Buy a ticket at the machine beside reception and hand it in at the desk. The bathhouse calls its water a natural hot spring that is gentle on the body. Shampoo sets and children's toys can be borrowed.
The hotel
A day-use bathhouse on the Ueki side of Kikuchi City, a member of the Ueki Onsen ryokan association, with no rooms to stay in. It opens at noon on weekdays and 11 a.m. on weekends and holidays, takes the last guests at 10 p.m., and closes on Tuesdays. In summer it also runs pool cottages and a large pool. Toothbrushes and razors cost ¥100, towels ¥200 and a wash set ¥300. Parking holds 42 cars.
Good to know
- The price is per cottage, for up to two adults and two children.
- Bring towels or buy one at reception for ¥200.
- Closed on Tuesdays; last entry is 10 p.m. every other day.
Getting there
Sakurazaka gives car directions only: about 5 minutes from the Ueki interchange on the Kyushu Expressway, turning right toward Kikuchi at the Toyoda junction, and about 30 minutes from central Kumamoto. JR Ueki Station on the Kagoshima main line is about 20 minutes from Kumamoto, but the bathhouse publishes no bus, taxi or walking route from it.
Ueki STN · JR Kagoshima main line
Not walkable.
The bathhouse gives car times only: 5 minutes from the Ueki interchange, 30 minutes from central Kumamoto.
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
There's no shared bath here, so every bath you use is private.
How we know
Bath layout confirmed, tattoo policy not published Checked on the official site: (the home page, which carries the cottage list, prices and access)
Read on: yuruttoteisakurazaka.co.jp/
Best for: a couple or small family who want a cottage with an open-air tub, a living room and an hour or more to themselves
Eleven cottages, each for two adults and two children: nine at ¥2,500 an hour and two special cottages at ¥3,500 an hour, with extensions at ¥1,000 per 30 minutes. Buy a ticket at the machine beside reception. Open noon to 10 p.m. (last entry) on weekdays and 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. on weekends and holidays; closed Tuesdays. Toothbrushes and razors ¥100, towels ¥200. Summer-only pool cottages are booked online. Parking for 42 cars.
The map shows every hotel close by. We haven’t checked their tattoo rules: sleep there, bathe here. Search Booking.com instead
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For current hours and prices, see the official website.