Nagayu Onsen Kajikaan
長湯温泉 かじか庵
Does Nagayu Onsen Kajikaan allow tattoos? In a private bath
Kajikaan’s spring rises on its own at about 250 liters a minute, and the bathhouse feeds and drains its tubs from the bottom so the white mineral flakes float undisturbed on the surface.
Kajikaan publishes no tattoo rule. Its bathhouse rents two private baths by the hour, at half price for staying guests, and two of its rooms have their own cypress open-air tub from April to October, so a tattooed guest can bathe without using the shared halls.
The bath
The source, Kajika-no-yu, is a magnesium, sodium and calcium bicarbonate spring that rises on its own at 46.6°C and about 250 liters a minute. The inn adds no water, no heat and no chlorine and does not recirculate. Its tubs fill and drain from the bottom, which keeps the gas in the water and leaves the white mineral flakes on the surface; the inn says they are a sign of good water, not dirt. It credits the carbon dioxide with helping circulation, gout and diabetes. The women's open-air bath has a hot and a lukewarm tub; the men's has an open-air tub and a lie-down bath. Both sides have a self-service steam sauna where you ladle scented water on the stones, and in winter the outdoor tubs drop to 38 to 40°C and serve as the cold plunge.
The two private baths, Uguisu and Momiji, cost ¥2,000 per room for an hour and cannot be booked by phone. Each has a tatami changing room with air conditioning, a washbasin and a dryer, and a shower with shampoo. The photos show a square tub of pale stone under a glassed gable window. Staying guests pay half for one private bath or one bedrock-bath session.
The rooms Fuji and Tsutsuji each have a cypress open-air tub on the south side, for one or two guests, open April to October.
The hotel
A small lodging beside the inn's own bathhouse Yunohana and its restaurant Serikawa, with rooms for one to three guests: the two open-air rooms of six mats, an eight-mat room with a veranda and two six-mat rooms facing south, and single rooms. Dinner is ordered from the restaurant menu, 5 to 8 p.m.; breakfast is served 7:30 to 9 a.m. with free self-serve coffee. The restaurant serves local wagyu, eel and enoha trout. Check-in from 3 p.m. The whole place closes on Tuesdays.
Good to know
- Half price on one private bath or one bedrock-bath session for staying guests, until 11 p.m.
- The open-air rooms close in winter, November 1 to March 31.
- Closed every Tuesday, unless it falls on a public holiday.
- No phone bookings for the private baths; ask at the desk on the day.
Getting there
The inn links bus timetables but gives no minutes. From Oita take the JR Hohi line to Bungo-Taketa, about 1 hour 15 minutes, then the Ono-Taketa bus to Nagayu; the Taketa tourist association puts the inn 20 to 25 minutes from Bungo-Taketa by car. The inn stands on the main road at the west side of the bath town.
Bungo-Taketa STN · JR Hohi Line, then the Ono-Taketa bus to Nagayu
Not walkable.
Bus to Nagayu, or a taxi of about 20 to 25 minutes; no pickup is offered.
Where it is
Nagayu Onsen roadside station STN
- Kyushu Shinkansen 40 min
- Kyushu Odan limited express 2 hr 21 min
- Taketa city bus 45 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 use one of the private baths. No reservation needed. Check the sign to see which are free.
How we know
Bath layout confirmed, tattoo policy not published Checked on the official site (: the private bath page and the open-air room page)
Best for: self-service steam saunas, a private carbonated bath for an hour, and a meal at the restaurant next door
Private baths Uguisu and Momiji, ¥2,000 per room per hour, no phone bookings; staying guests get one private bath or one bedrock-bath session at half price, from check-in to 11 p.m. (last entry 10 p.m.), not the next morning. Rooms Fuji and Tsutsuji have a cypress open-air tub for one or two and close from November 1 to March 31, when the spring runs too cool. The whole place closes on Tuesdays (open on holidays). Day-use hours 10 a.m. to 11 p.m., last entry 10 p.m.
Book your stay
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