Hatago Sakura
旅籠 彩くら
Does Hatago Sakura allow tattoos? In a private bath
Hatago Sakura spreads ten detached cottages over about 10,000 square meters by the Machida river, each with its own open-air tub of Kushino spring water, and five of them welcome dogs.
Hatago Sakura publishes no tattoo rule for guests and has no shared bath: every one of its ten cottages has its own open-air bath of free-flowing spring water, and its one other bath, a rock open-air bath, is reserved privately and free for staying guests.
The bath
Kushino Onsen is one of a string of springs along the Machida river below Mount Waita, with Kawazoko, Hosenji and Kabeyu. The inn's water is a weakly alkaline simple spring that leaves the ground at 57.2°C, run straight through every tub and open 24 hours. It lists it for neuralgia, stiff shoulders, bruises, sprains, stiff joints, cold sensitivity, poor circulation, weak digestion, recovery after illness and fatigue, and also for an unsettled nervous system, sleeplessness and low mood.
There is no shared bath. Each of the ten cottages has its own open-air tub on a wooden deck: Miyama and Fuyuzakura have cypress, Shogetsu, Beniyutaka and the larger cottages have rock. Kanzan, the riverside villa, has a private hot spring pool instead, warm enough to use all year. The photo of Miyama shows a long cypress tub on a deck at dusk, a wooden pail on the rim, with a fence and the dark tree line against a violet sky.
The one bath outside the rooms is a rock open-air bath, for staying guests only, booked in 50-minute slots from 3 p.m. to 10 a.m. and free.
The hotel
Ten detached cottages, mostly Japanese-Western with a tatami room and a bedroom of semi-double Simmons beds, from 52 to 62 square meters, on a riverside site of about 10,000 square meters, with a main building and a dog run. Five cottages take dogs of any size. Dinner is a Western-led French-style course with a side buffet of local Japanese dishes, in private rooms or an open dining hall. Cars park beside each cottage. No children aged 10 or under. The inn marked its tenth year in 2026.
Good to know
- No shared bath: every cottage has its own open-air spring tub.
- Book the rock open-air bath in 50-minute slots; it is free for guests.
- Dogs welcome in five cottages, large ones included.
- No guests aged 10 or under. The inn is adults and older children only.
Getting there
Take the JR Kyudai line to Bungo-Mori, then the bus toward Hosenji Onsen, about 30 minutes. By car it is about 10 km from the Kokonoe interchange or 20 km from Kusu; the inn suggests searching by its map code, and you park beside your cottage.
Bungo-Mori STN · JR Kyudai Main Line, then the bus toward Hosenji Onsen
Not walkable.
Bus about 30 minutes; the inn gives no walk from the stop.
Where it is
Kushino STN
- Yufuin no Mori 1 hr 47 min
- Hosenji bus 30 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 Kuju is part of 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 rooms page and the hot spring page)
Best for: a detached riverside cottage with its own cypress or stone open-air tub, and room for a dog
All ten cottages have an open-air bath of free-flowing spring water, cypress or stone, open 24 hours; Kanzan has a private hot spring pool instead. Five cottages take pets. The rock open-air bath is for staying guests only, booked in 50-minute slots, free, 3 p.m. to 10 a.m. No children aged 10 or under. Cars park beside the cottage. The inn closes on irregular days.
Book your stay
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