Nanaeyae
静寂とまごころの宿 七重八重
Does Nanaeyae allow tattoos? In a private bath
Nanaeyae turns tattooed guests away from its shared baths in so many words, then sells two rooms with a spring-fed tub on the balcony over the gorge.
The inn says plainly that tattoos, fashion tattoos included, are not allowed in its large bath or open-air bath. Bathe in private instead: two 12-mat rooms on the second floor have their own spring-fed open-air tubs facing the gorge, Japanese-Western rooms renovated in 2022 have an onsen indoor bath, and the two private baths, Mitsukane-no-yu and Iwatsubame-no-yu, are 45 minutes for 3,850 yen each, booked by phone when you reserve the room.
Show this at the front desk
※刺青・ファッションタトゥーのある方は、大浴場・露天風呂をご利用いただくことができません。
The operator’s own wording, to show at the desk if you need to.
The bath
The water is an alkaline simple spring, which the inn describes as soft and clear with no smell, mild enough for children. It is heated and diluted to keep it at bathing temperature, and chlorinated and filtered as the prefecture requires. The inn lists neuralgia, muscle and joint pain, bruises, poor circulation and chronic digestive complaints as what it is for. The open-air bath hangs over the gorge, which the inn likens to floating in the air, with granite headrests so you can lie back; it is step-free. The large bath is indoors. Both are open from 15:00 through to 10:00 the next morning, with a half-hour closure at 23:30 for a patrol and a cleaning break from 10:00 to 15:00. No day bathing is offered.
There are two private baths with windows on the gorge, both step-free: Mitsukane-no-yu, finished in white, and Iwatsubame-no-yu, finished in black after the rocks of the gorge. Each costs ¥3,850 for 45 minutes, 7:45 to 9:30 in the morning and 15:00 to 21:45 in the evening, and the inn asks you to book by phone when you reserve the room.
Two second-floor Japanese rooms of 12 mats have their own onsen open-air tub on the balcony facing the gorge, with an indoor bath and shower as well. The inn also sells Japanese-Western rooms, renovated in February 2022, with an onsen indoor bath, tall windows and two semi-double beds.
The hotel
A 29-room inn for 116 guests, run by Sun Frontier Hotel Management. The room types run from the two open-air-bath rooms and the onsen-bath Japanese-Western rooms to top-floor rooms, standard 12-mat Japanese rooms with a veranda over the gorge and a 30 m² step-free Western room. Dinner is a kaiseki (a multi-course Japanese meal) of local food, Tochigi yume pork shabu-shabu (thin-sliced meat swished in hot broth), Nikko yuba (tofu skin) and whole iwana trout, served in the Takahara or Shomatsu dining rooms, or in a private dining room on some plans. Breakfast is Japanese. The building has been non-smoking since 2020. Check-in is 15:00 to 18:00, check-out 10:00.
Good to know
- Bring the bath towels from your room; the inn's FAQ says so.
- No pickup, but the station is five minutes on foot and the dial bus costs ¥300.
- Two private baths, one white and one black, Mitsukane-no-yu and Iwatsubame-no-yu, booked by phone with the room.
- Free Kinugawa spring water in the rest area after the bath.
Getting there
Tobu's Spacia limited express takes about 119 minutes from Asakusa to Kinugawa-Onsen Station, by the inn's count. The inn is about five minutes on foot from the station. There is no pickup; the dial bus that circles the hotels costs ¥300 for adults and ¥150 for children. Drivers use Imaichi IC and Route 121; parking for 30 cars in front of the building is free.
Kinugawa-Onsen STN · Tobu Kinugawa line (Spacia from Asakusa, about 119 minutes)
About 5 minutes.
No pickup; dial bus ¥300.
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
Use the bath in your room, or reserve a private bath by phone.
How we know
Confirmed from official site (the inn’s onsen page and FAQ carry the refusal; the room page confirms the open-air tubs)
Best for: A tattooed couple who want a gorge-facing tub on their own balcony, five minutes from the station
Open-air-bath rooms (露天風呂付客室, 和室12畳): two rooms only, so book early. Two private baths, white Mitsukane-no-yu and black Iwatsubame-no-yu, 7:45 to 9:30 and 15:00 to 21:45, 45 minutes 3,850 yen; the inn asks for them to be reserved by phone with the room. A plan with 45 minutes of private bath included is sold. The operator says the water is heated, diluted, chlorinated and filtered. Run by Sun Frontier Hotel Management.
Book your stay
- BBooking.comCheck availability
- AAgodaCheck availability
- EExpediaCheck availability
- HHotels.comCheck availability
Booking through these links 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.