Sakura Sakura Onsen
さくらさくら温泉
Does Sakura Sakura Onsen allow tattoos? In a private bath
Sakura Sakura is the mud-bath inn of Kirishima, and staying guests can also book its private open-air bath Miyama free in the early evening, though it shuts from December until spring.
The inn’s FAQ firmly refuses tattoos in its large bath, which is Sakura-no-yu, the big shared open-air bath with the mud packs. The option for a tattooed guest is Miyama, a private open-air and indoor bath that staying guests use free from 4 to 9 p.m., but it closes from December until spring when the inn cannot keep the water warm, and a second private bath, Momiji-yu, is shut for now.
The bath
The spring is a weakly acidic sulfur water, and the inn's claim to fame is the natural mud that comes with it. Tubs of grey mud stand in the large bath: you paint it on face and body, let it dry a few minutes, then wash it off in spring water mixed with cleansing cream or soap, and the inn promises smooth, shining skin. The inn lists neuralgia, stiff shoulders, fatigue, rheumatism, sprains and wounds for the water. Mud packs are done only in the large bath, not in any room.
Sakura-no-yu, the large bath, has a men's side, Tonosama-yu, and a women's side, Bijin-yu, each with an indoor tub and an open-air bath, the women's with a tatami corner for small children. It runs 6 to 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., closing 9 to 11 a.m. for cleaning. Day visitors come 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. for 900 yen, or 350 yen from age four through elementary school, and can rest in the hall free from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. when no banquet is on.
Miyama is the private bath, at the Sakura-kan annex, an open-air tub with an indoor tub beside it. It is free and for staying guests only, available in part from 4 to 9 p.m., with no morning session. From December until the weather warms, usually into spring, the inn closes it entirely because it cannot keep the water at bathing heat, and a second private bath, Momiji-yu, is shut for the time being.
The hotel
Five kinds of lodging on one site: the Canadian log house Kirishima, the cottages of Sakura no Mura built as wooden holiday houses with open ceilings for small groups, the Japanese detached house Sakura no Oyado, the western pension-style Sakura-kan annex with a library of magazines and comics, and the tatami rooms of the Sakura-kan main building a short walk from the bath and the dining room in the main house. There is a shochu (a distilled spirit) counter bar, a karaoke snack, the restaurant Sakura-an and a shop open 7 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Dogs can stay on set plans. Check-in 4 p.m., last 9 p.m., check-out 10 a.m.
Good to know
- Miyama closes from December until spring, so book the private bath for a warm month.
- Free for staying guests, 4 to 9 p.m., with no morning slot.
- The mud stays in the big bath: no packs in the rooms or the private bath.
- Yokodake-shita bus stop is three minutes away, 15 minutes by bus from Kirishima-Jingu Station.
Getting there
From Kagoshima-Chuo Station take the JR Nippo Line to Kirishima-Jingu Station, about 50 minutes by the inn's count, then the bus about 15 minutes to the Yokodake-shita stop and about 3 minutes on foot, or a taxi of about 10 minutes. From Kagoshima Airport the bus to Maruo takes about 35 minutes, then a change for about 15 minutes to Yokodake-shita and the same 3-minute walk; by car the airport is about 40 minutes. Parking is at the inn.
Kirishima-Jingu STN · JR Nippo Main Line (limited express Kirishima)
Not walkable.
Bus about 15 minutes to the Yokodake-shita stop and 3 minutes on foot; taxi about 10 minutes.
Where it is
Kirishima-Jingu STN
- Kyushu Shinkansen 1 hr 18 min
- Kirishima express 48 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 you’re coming from Hakata by train.
- Kyushu SunQ Pass Worth it if you’re riding buses around Kagoshima. It covers the airport bus to the spa villages and Myoken and the Kagoshima Kotsu bus from Kirishima-Jingu Station.
- Sakurajima volcano half-day tour Half a day on Sakurajima, the active volcano across the bay from Kagoshima.
- 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 reserve a private bath.
How we know
Confirmed from official site (the inn’s own FAQ, opened from the questions button on its site, under the question on the large bath, for the refusal; its own bath and room pages for the private bathing)
入れ墨（刺青）やタトゥーがある方の大浴場の利用は固くお断りしております。
This is the rule for the shared baths. It doesn’t apply to the private baths.
Best for: a summer or autumn stay with the mud bath by day and a free private open-air bath in the evening
Private open-air bath Miyama at the Sakura-kan annex, with an indoor tub, for staying guests only, free, 4 to 9 p.m. in part, no morning use; closed from December until the weather warms, usually through spring, because the inn cannot hold the temperature. A second private bath, Momiji-yu, is closed for the time being. Sakura-no-yu, the large bath, has a men's side Tonosama-yu and a women's side Bijin-yu, each indoor and open-air, with tubs of natural mud for face and body packs; 6 to 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., cleaning 9 to 11 a.m.; mud packs only in the large bath. Day use 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., 900 yen for adults and 350 yen from age 4 to elementary school, bath tax included; rest hall free 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Spring: weakly acidic sulfur. Check-in 4 p.m., last 9 p.m., check-out 10 a.m. Dog plans.
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