Oita Kokonoe Kuoritei
大分九重 久織亭
Does Oita Kokonoe Kuoritei allow tattoos? In a private bath
Kuoritei’s eight cottages, each named for a traditional Japanese color, stand beside the Tadewara wetland under Mount Mimata, and each has its own half-open-air tub of spring water.
Kuoritei publishes no tattoo rule. Every cottage has its own half-open-air bath of free-flowing spring water, open 24 hours, so a tattooed guest can bathe in the room. Kuoritei guests may also use the baths at its sister lodge Toranoyu, but Toranoyu’s own page turns away tattooed bathers, so keep to the room bath.
The bath
Kuoritei draws its water from the Kuju mountains and runs it straight through every tub. The inn calls it a beauty bath, rich in metasilicic acid; its sister lodge Toranoyu gives it as a near-neutral bicarbonate spring.
The cottage bath is the point. All eight detached cottages have a half-open-air bath that you can use at any hour, and the inn suggests a soak with sake or wine under the moon in autumn, or a snow-viewing bath in winter. The 164 square meter annex has its own open-air bath for about ten people, which the inn sometimes offers in summer as a lukewarm private pool for families. The photo shows a square tub of clear water edged with pale wood, opening onto a terrace with chairs and green trees, an iron lantern on the wall.
Kuoritei guests may also use the men's and women's baths and the five open-air family baths at Lodge Toranoyu, a short walk away, free from 3 p.m. to 10 a.m. Toranoyu's own day-use page says people with tattoos may not use its baths, so a tattooed guest should keep to the cottage bath.
The hotel
Eight detached cottages and an annex at about 1,000 meters on the Chojabaru plateau, each named for a traditional color: Wasabi, the largest at 81 square meters, Byakugun with an open deck bath, Akane facing Mount Mimata, and smaller ones such as Hanada, Kihada, Toki and Shion. The annex sleeps up to five. Dinner is a Japanese-modern French course overseen by chef Ishikawa, with Bungo beef seared over straw; the inn says it is listed in the Michelin Guide. Morning yoga by the wetland on weekends.
Good to know
- Every cottage bath is open 24 hours, spring water straight from the source.
- Free pickup from Yufuin or Bungo-Nakamura, booked by phone.
- Stock up before you arrive; the nearest convenience store is 40 minutes away.
- Snow tires are a must from December to February.
Getting there
Kuoritei runs a free pickup, reserved by phone, from JR Yufuin station or JR Bungo-Nakamura station; weather can cancel it. The Tadewara wetland and Chojabaru are about three minutes away by car, Kurokawa Onsen about 30 minutes, and drivers need snow tires in winter.
Bungo-Nakamura STN · JR Kyudai Main Line
Not walkable.
Free pickup from Bungo-Nakamura or Yufuin by phone reservation.
Where it is
- Yufuin no Mori 1 hr 47 min
- JR Kyudai line 13 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
Use the bath in your room, or reserve a private bath by phone.
How we know
Bath layout confirmed, tattoo policy not published Checked on the official site (: the home page says every cottage has a half-open-air spring bath)
Best for: a detached cottage with a spring bath on the Chojabaru wetland, with free pickup from Yufuin or Bungo-Nakamura
Eight detached cottages of 55 to 81 m2, all with a half-open-air bath of free-flowing spring water open 24 hours, and a 164 m2 annex with its own open-air bath. Guests may use the large baths and five family baths at the sister Lodge Toranoyu free, 3 p.m. to 10 a.m.; Toranoyu’s day-use page says people with tattoos may not use its baths. Free pickup from JR Yufuin or Bungo-Nakamura by phone reservation. Nearest convenience store about 40 minutes by car. Check-in 3 p.m., check-out 11 a.m.
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