Kuju Kogen Cottage
久住高原コテージ
Does Kuju Kogen Cottage allow tattoos? In a private bath
Kuju Kogen Cottage looks south across open grassland to the five peaks of Aso, and its family bath, with an open-air tub of its own, shares the same view as the large bath.
Kuju Kogen Cottage publishes no tattoo rule. It rents a family bath, with its own open-air tub looking toward the Aso peaks and an indoor tub, for 50 minutes at a time, booked at the front desk, so a tattooed guest can bathe privately.
The bath
The hotel draws on two springs of its own, bicarbonate water that it promises in a published declaration is genuine hot spring water with no bath additives. The indoor tubs run free-flowing; the open-air tub flows while part of the water is recirculated, and the hotel uses chlorine as the health authorities require. The white flakes on the surface are minerals, it says. Its open-air bath, Mantenbo Onsen, looks south over a sea of grassland to the five peaks of Aso and the Sobo range, and the hotel suggests it after dark for the stars. The large indoor bath has a sauna.
The family bath enjoys the same view, with its own open-air tub and an indoor tub. It costs ¥2,000 for 50 minutes, or ¥1,600 for staying guests, and is booked at the front desk when you check in; the hotel takes no phone bookings for it. The photo shows the washing area: a dark pebbled floor, two wooden pails on a low stool, a red tiled wall with showers and a glass door onto the open-air side.
The hotel
A single-story timber hotel on the highland, with rooms of Western style, on raised tatami beds, or Japanese style, each with a table that becomes a kotatsu (a low heated table) in winter. Rooms have a shower and toilet but no tub. Two rooms for wheelchair users sit near the front desk, baths and restaurant. Beside it is the Kuju Kogen Auto Village campground, whose guests get a bath ticket. The whole building is non-smoking.
Good to know
- Book the family bath at check-in; phone bookings are not taken.
- Staying guests pay ¥1,600 for 50 minutes instead of ¥2,000.
- Rooms have showers only, so the baths are downstairs.
- The open-air bath faces Aso; go after dark for the stars.
Getting there
From Hakata the JR Kyudai line reaches Yufuin in about 2 hours 15 minutes, or the Hohi line via Kumamoto reaches Bungo-Taketa in about 3 hours 15 minutes; the hotel gives a taxi of about 30 minutes from Bungo-Taketa. From Oita, the Hohi line to Bungo-Taketa takes about 1 hour 15 minutes. No bus runs to the hotel.
Bungo-Taketa STN · JR Hohi Line
Not walkable.
Taxi about 30 minutes from Bungo-Taketa.
Where it is
- Kyushu Shinkansen 40 min
- Kyushu Odan limited express 2 hr 21 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 by phone.
How we know
Bath layout confirmed, tattoo policy not published Checked on the official site (: the bath page and the facilities page describe the family bath and its fee)
Best for: a family bath facing the five peaks of Aso, on a grassland plateau at a modest price
Family bath ¥2,000 for 50 minutes (¥1,600 for staying guests), with an open-air tub and an indoor tub; book at the front desk on arrival, no phone bookings. The large bath, Mantenbo Onsen, is open to day visitors 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. (¥800) and to staying guests until midnight. The indoor tubs are free-flowing; the open-air tub runs partly recirculated, and chlorine is used as required. Rooms have showers, not tubs. Two accessible rooms near the baths.
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