Hotel Route Inn Kusatsu Ritto
ホテルルートイン草津栗東
Does Hotel Route Inn Kusatsu Ritto allow tattoos? Yes, covered
A roadside hotel at the Ritto interchange on Route 1, two and a half kilometers from Ritto station, with the chain’s large communal bath. Twenty-five minutes from Kyoto on the Biwako line rapid.
Tattoos are allowed if a cover seal hides them completely. The group names no seal size and doesn’t say the hotel sells seals, so bring your own.
Show this at the front desk
入れ墨(タトゥー)のある方のご入浴はお断りしております。ただし、カバーシールを用いて入れ墨(タトゥー)が完全に覆えている場合に限り、大浴場をご利用いただけます。
The operator’s own wording, to show at the desk if you need to.
The bath
Tabibito no Yu here is an artificial radium spring, not ground water: the bath is made by dissolving Rajihope, a quasi-drug additive licensed by Japan’s health ministry. Route Inn says the radium softens the water, and it has no color or smell. The hotel’s page shows no sauna, no open-air bath and no view. Men and women bathe separately, from 3 p.m. to 2 a.m. and again from 5 a.m. to 10 a.m. Body soap, shampoo, conditioner, toner, milk lotion, cotton swabs, a scale, hair dryers and toothbrushes are supplied; the women’s side adds cleansing oil, brushes and cotton pads, and the men’s shaving foam, combs and razors.
The hotel
A big roadside hotel of 333 rooms. Breakfast in Nagomi, the restaurant, is a free buffet of more than thirty dishes with croissants baked on site. In a separate building, Kaisen Dining Mikura and Yakiniku Hanakura serve tuna and seafood on one side and grilled Omi beef on the other, 5 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. (10:30 p.m. on Sundays and holidays). Free coffee in the lobby, and a shelf of picture books for children.
Good to know
- 233 free parking spaces, two minutes from the Ritto interchange on the Meishin expressway, with two EV chargers guests can book.
- Book a taxi ahead; the hotel warns that cars are hard to get at the front desk in the morning and evening.
Getting there
Ritto STN · JR Biwako line
About 11 minutes by car or taxi.
The Biwako line rapid reaches Ritto from Kyoto in 25 minutes. Tehara Station on the JR Kusatsu line is about 3 minutes by car. There’s no Route Inn in Kyoto city.
Where it is

- JR Kansai Wide Area Pass ¥12,000 · 5 days Worth it if you’re riding out to Kinosaki or Shirahama and back.
- Gion food tour, 13 dishes at 4 eateries Three hours on foot through Gion and Pontocho with an English-speaking guide, dinner spread over four small eateries. Meets at 6 pm.
- Funaoka Onsen bathhouse visit with a guide A guide takes you into Funaoka Onsen, Kyoto’s 1920s bathhouse, and the cafe in a former bathhouse nearby. Klook lists it as tattoo-friendly, and admission is included.
- Shinkansen tickets Seats between any two stations, booked by date.
- Japan Rail Pass from ¥53,000 · 7, 14 or 21 days For a trip that takes in several regions by Shinkansen and JR lines.
A chain rule for the whole group
Route Inn sets this rule once for the whole group, Route Inn, Grand, Ark and Grand Vrio alike. The whole picture on Route Inn, and every Route Inn listing on this site →
What happens when you arrive
Bring your own seals and cover the tattoo completely before you go in. The hotel doesn't specify a size, so cover everything.
How we know
Confirmed from official site (group FAQ, no property exceptions)
Best for: drivers who want a large bath at the Ritto interchange
Book your stay
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