Kinosato Yamanoyu
季の郷 山の湯
Does Kinosato Yamanoyu allow tattoos? In a private bath
Yamanoyu is built for dogs and their owners, with a rooftop dog run and dog meals, and its private family bath is the one bath in the house where your dog may soak with you.
Yamanoyu publishes no tattoo rule; its FAQ covers pets, meals and cards but not tattoos. It has a fully private family bath, booked when you reserve or at check-in and opened with your phone, so a tattooed guest can bathe alone.
The bath
The water is Hosenji's weakly alkaline simple spring, soft on the skin, run straight from the source and open around the clock. The inn lists it in the bath for neuralgia, joint and muscle pain, stiff shoulders, motor paralysis, bruises, sprains, digestive trouble, hemorrhoids and cold sensitivity, and to drink for the digestion and constipation. There are two large baths: a cave bath with a wide tub and a passage to explore at the back that works a little like a sauna, and a rock bath under bright paper parasols, with an open-air tub and the sound of the river. Men and women swap at 9 p.m.; both close from 8:30 to 9 p.m. for the change. Bamboo lanterns light the corridor to the baths.
The family bath is completely private and is the only bath that takes a reservation: mention it when you book or ask the staff after check-in. It opens with your phone, like your room. Dogs may bathe in it with their owners, which they cannot do in the large baths. The photo shows a square tub of dark stone with a handrail, white plaster walls, dark beams and a paned window.
The hotel
Twenty-eight rooms looking toward the Kuju mountains, with camellia motifs throughout: ten-mat Japanese rooms and step-free Japanese-Western rooms with twin beds and a tatami area, some set aside for guests with dogs. The inn has a dog-only floor, a rooftop dog run, homemade dog meals and dog amenities. Rooms open by phone key. Dinner at 6 or 6:45 p.m., breakfast at 7:30 or 8. The inn marked 75 years in 2026. Check-in 3 to 6 p.m., check-out 10 a.m.
Good to know
- Reserve the family bath when you book or at the desk; it opens with your phone.
- Your dog may join you in the family bath, not in the large baths.
- The large baths swap at 9 p.m., closed for half an hour before.
- Solo travelers are welcome, the inn says in its FAQ.
Getting there
Take the JR Kyudai line to Bungo-Mori, then the bus to Hosenji Onsen; Yumotoya, a few doors down, gives it as hourly and about 20 minutes. By car it is about 10 minutes from the Kokonoe interchange. Yamanoyu's own access page names the bus but gives no minutes.
Bungo-Mori STN · JR Kyudai Main Line, then the bus to Hosenji Onsen
Not walkable.
Hourly bus, about 20 minutes, by Yumotoya's count.
Where it is
Hosenji Onsen bus stop
- Yufuin no Mori 1 hr 47 min
- Hosenji bus 20 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
Skip the shared baths and reserve a private bath at the front desk when you check in.
How we know
Bath layout confirmed, tattoo policy not published Checked on the official site (: the hot spring page lists a reservable private family bath; the FAQ has no tattoo question)
Best for: a dog-friendly inn whose private family bath you can share with your dog
One family bath, fully private, by reservation: ask when booking or at the desk after check-in; it opens with the same phone key as your room. Dogs may bathe in it with you; they are not allowed in the large baths. The two large baths, a cave bath and a rock bath under paper parasols, swap sexes at 9 p.m. (closed 8:30 to 9 p.m.). All baths open 24 hours. Day bathing has ended. Card accepted.
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