Hotel Sunshine Kinugawa
ホテルサンシャイン鬼怒川
Does Hotel Sunshine Kinugawa allow tattoos? In a private bath
Hotel Sunshine Kinugawa puts its open-air suite tubs about 50 meters up, on the top floors of a 14-story tower facing the Kinu Tateiwa suspension bridge.
Sunshine is silent on tattoos in its large baths. Its two private baths go first come first served at the front desk from 14:00: the indoor Akane at 3,850 yen for 45 minutes, 15:30 to 23:15, and the open-air rock bath Kirara at 2,750 yen, 15:00 to 23:00. For a whole night of privacy, the top-floor and 13th-floor suites have their own open-air tubs some 50 meters above the ground.
What the hotel says about its baths
地上50mからの大自然の景観を眺めながらプライベートなお風呂タイムが楽しめる、 露天風呂付きのゲストルームです。
The operator’s own wording.
The bath
The water is a simple alkaline spring, colorless, which the hotel lists for muscle and joint pain, bruises, stiff joints, recovery after illness, tiredness and beauty. There are two large halls that swap between men and women morning and evening. Kikokubiyu is built in black granite, with a big open-air bath looking down on the river against the gorge; Kihakubiyu is white marble, with wide windows on the mountains and its own open-air bath. Each has a sauna, and the women's side has a private-style powder room with ion dryers. Hours are 5:00 to 24:00 with a cleaning break 10:00 to 11:00. Day bathers are welcome 11:00 to 20:00, last entry 19:00, ¥1,000 for adults and ¥700 for school children, cut short when the hotel is busy.
There are two private baths. Akane, indoors, reopened in July 2024 with fan-shaped tiles and a wide non-slip tub, 15:30 to 23:15, 45 minutes for ¥3,850. Kirara is an open-air rock bath, 15:00 to 23:00, 45 minutes for ¥2,750. Both are booked first come first served at the front desk from 14:00 on the day, or added to a booking at a fixed time. The top-floor open-air-bath suites pair a 12-mat Japanese room and a bedroom with a terrace tub about 50 meters above the ground; the 13th-floor suites were renewed in January 2026 with a shower by the tub, Simmons beds, a Nespresso machine and bathrobes. Neither page says the suite tubs carry spring water, and neither takes children of elementary age or younger.
The hotel
A 14-story hotel facing the Kinu Tateiwa suspension bridge, sister to Tsuganoki next door. Room types run from the top-floor open-air-bath and view-bath suites, 13th-floor Royal rooms on the bridge side and a top-floor family-bath room, to renewed twins, a universal room, step-free rooms, Japanese rooms of 12.5 and 4.5 mats on floors 5 to 14 and kids' rooms for up to six. Meals are either a wide buffet or a Japanese set of seasonal local dishes. Table tennis with yukata is rented by the hour. The building has been non-smoking since April 2024. Check-in from 15:00, check-out time not stated.
Good to know
- Kirara is the cheaper private bath, ¥2,750 for 45 minutes in the open-air rock tub, against ¥3,850 for indoor Akane.
- Private baths go on sale at the desk at 14:00, first come first served, or book a fixed time as an option when you reserve.
- No pickup; walk 10 minutes, or take the dial bus from stop 5 for ¥300, with return buses to the station from 8:50.
- Day bathing 11:00 to 20:00 for ¥1,000, cut short when the hotel is full.
Getting there
Tobu limited expresses from Asakusa or Shinjuku reach Kinugawa-Onsen Station in about 130 minutes by the hotel's count. The hotel is about 10 minutes on foot. The Tobu dial bus from stop 5 outside the station circles the hotels in step with the express timetable, ¥300 for adults and ¥150 for children; buses back to the station leave the hotel at 8:50, 9:25, 9:55 and 10:20, booked at the desk. Taxis also wait at the station. Free parking across the road.
Kinugawa-Onsen STN · Tobu Kinugawa line (limited expresses from Asakusa and Shinjuku, about 130 minutes)
About 10 minutes.
Dial bus from stop 5, ¥300; no hotel pickup.
Where it is
Kinugawa-Onsen STN
- Shinkansen tickets Seats between any two stations, booked by date.
- JR Tokyo Wide Pass ¥16,000 · 3 days Worth it if you’re also traveling around Tokyo on JR.
- Nikko Pass All Area ¥8,000 · 4 days Worth it if you’re coming from Asakusa. It covers the Tobu line from Asakusa and back, and Tobu trains and buses around Kinugawa and Nikko.
- Nikko classic day tour Toshogu Shrine, the Irohazaka hairpins, Lake Chuzenji and Kegon Falls, from Tokyo.
- 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 onsen page and two open-air-bath room pages)
Best for: Travelers who want a suite tub high above the gorge and the suspension bridge
Open-air-bath suites take no children of elementary-school age or younger. The 13th-floor suites were renovated in January 2026 and have a shower in the tub area. The private baths can also be added to a booking at a fixed time. The large baths are Kikokubiyu, in black granite, and Kihakubiyu, in white marble. The room pages do not say whether the suite tubs carry onsen water; the sister hotel Tsuganoki says its own room tubs do not. Large baths also take day visitors, 11:00 to 20:00.
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