Ichino-Yu
一の湯
Does Ichino-Yu allow tattoos? Yes!
The bathhouse an Edo physician called the best in the land: the name, “number one,” dates from that verdict, with a cave bath cut into the rock at the back.
No restrictions. Tattoos of any shape and size, nothing to cover, no declaration. This is the town’s stated policy for all its public bathhouses, not a per-property exception.
The bath
Before the physician Kagawa Shutoku praised it in the mid-Edo period, this bath went by the name Arayu, the “new bath.” Today its front on the main street is built to resemble a kabuki theater, lit warm yellow at dusk under a tiled roof with a carved gable over the door.
The cave bath at the back is a pool set among natural boulders under an overhang of rock, with a steel handrail into the water, a bamboo screen along one side and lamps on the wall; the tourism office says the low light makes it the place for a calm soak. The water is Kinosaki’s shared supply, a salty hot spring that the tourism association lists at 42°C for every bathhouse. The baths are separate for men and women, and the building’s private bath is out of use for now.
Ichino-yu keeps its doors open from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m., taking the last bathers half an hour before closing, and shuts on Wednesdays. A single entry is ¥800 for adults and ¥400 for children aged three through elementary school. The Yumepa, a ¥1,500 day pass sold at the counter, covers every public bathhouse in town.
Good to know
- On the main street, behind a front designed to look like a kabuki theater.
Getting there
Kinosaki-Onsen STN · JR San’in line
On the main street, a short walk.
From Osaka, the Kounotori limited express reaches Kinosaki-Onsen in about 2 hours 40 minutes; the Kinosaki runs from Kyoto and the Hamakaze from Sannomiya and Himeji. All seven bathhouses are within walking distance of each other.
Where it is
Kinosaki-Onsen STN
- Shinkansen tickets Seats between any two stations, booked by date.
- JR Kansai Wide Area Pass ¥12,000 · 5 days Worth it if you’re riding the Kounotori to Kinosaki and back.
- Japan Rail Pass from ¥53,000 · 7, 14 or 21 days For a trip that takes in several regions by Shinkansen and JR lines.
The town’s policy, not the building’s
This is one of Kinosaki’s public bathhouses, and the rule belongs to the town rather than to this particular building. How Kinosaki’s Yumepa system works →
What happens when you arrive
Buy a ticket at the window, or show your Yumepa, and go in. There’s nothing to cover.
How we know
Confirmed from official site (Toyooka City / Kinosaki tourism association, English)
Read on: visitkinosaki.com/plan/visitor-info/guides/tattoos-in-kinosaki-onsen/
All seven public hot springs in Kinosaki Onsen allow tattoos of all sizes, with no need to cover them up
The operator’s own wording. Show it if anyone asks.
Best for: first-timers who want a cave bath cut into the rock
The map shows every hotel close by. We haven’t checked their tattoo rules: sleep there, bathe here. Search Booking.com instead
Booking through this link costs you nothing extra and earns us a small commission, which keeps this guide free and up to date for our tattoo community. Thanks for your support.
For current hours and prices, see the official website.