Fujinoyu
富士乃湯
Does Fujinoyu allow tattoos? In a private bath
Fujinoyu, an eight-room inn run by the same family for 20 generations since 1832, lets staying guests walk into its tiled private bath for free whenever the sign on the door says vacant.
Fujinoyu publishes no tattoo rule. Its private bath, Fuji, is free to every staying guest with no booking: when the sign on the door reads vacant you turn it over and go in. Three special rooms also have their own half-open-air spring bath, so a tattooed guest can bathe without using the shared baths.
The bath
The inn draws 25 tons of Asama's spring water a day, an alkaline simple spring that is clear and has no smell. It lists the water for neuralgia, muscle and joint pain, poor circulation and fatigue. No water is added, and the baths are heated only in winter.
The private bath, Fuji, is the one to plan around. It runs free-flowing from the source and costs nothing. The washing floor is covered in tatami matting, and the tub and walls are faced in early Showa tile. There is no booking: a sign on the door reads vacant or in use, and you turn it as you go in. It is open from 3 p.m. to 9 a.m., and the inn asks for about 30 to 40 minutes a turn. A QR code in each room shows whether it is free.
Three special rooms in the new wing, Suzuran, Rindo and Komakusa, each have a half-open-air bath with free-flowing spring water. The main-wing room Norikura has a unit bath with spring water piped in. The two large baths, Fuyo and Yubae, overlook the Japanese garden and swap between men and women at about 9:30 p.m. Fuyo was redone in March 2023 with a stone floor and a small cypress tub. Yubae has had tatami matting across its whole floor since March 2025. They open 3 p.m. to midnight and 6 to 10 a.m., and combine free-flowing and recirculated water.
The hotel
Fujinoyu has eight rooms: three special rooms of 39 to 61 square meters in the new wing and five Japanese rooms in the sukiya-style main wing, two of them refitted with tatami beds in March 2025. Dinner and breakfast are served in the room. The family has kept the inn since 1832 and shows its collection through the building, including a half-size copy of its early 1700s plan of Matsumoto Castle, which the inn says is the oldest surviving one. There is no elevator, and stays are one night only.
Good to know
- The private bath is free and unbooked. Check the QR code in your room, then flip the sign on the door.
- Three rooms have their own bath, a half-open-air tub with spring water running straight from the source.
- One night only. The inn does not take consecutive nights.
- An ice pop after the bath is free, one per guest from the lobby.
Getting there
From Shinjuku take the JR Chuo Line limited express Azusa to Matsumoto, about 2 hours 30 to 40 minutes. From stand 23 at the station's Oshiro (castle) exit plaza, the Asama line takes about 25 minutes to the Asama Onsen stop (the weekday-only Shin-Asama line leaves from stand 22), and the inn is about 5 minutes on foot from there. The inn has no shuttle and suggests a taxi or the bus. From Nagoya the limited express Shinano reaches Matsumoto in about 2 hours.
Matsumoto STN · JR Chuo Line (Azusa limited express)
Not walkable.
Asama line bus from stand 23 at the station's Oshiro exit plaza, about 25 minutes to the Asama Onsen stop, then about 5 minutes on foot; no shuttle.
Where it is
Asama Onsen bus stop
- Azusa limited express 2 hr 35 min
- Alpico bus 25 min
- Shinkansen tickets Seats between any two stations, booked by date.
- JR East Pass from ¥35,000 · 5 or 10 consecutive days Covers the Azusa, JR’s limited express from Shinjuku to Matsumoto, with a reserved seat.
- Miso factory tour and lunch in Matsumoto A guided half day at Ishii Miso, a miso maker more than 150 years old, with lunch.
- 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 hot spring page describes the free private bath and how to use it, and the rooms page lists three rooms with a half-open-air bath)
Best for: a free, no-booking private bath lined with early Showa tile
The private bath Fuji is free-flowing spring water with nothing added, free to staying guests, open 3 p.m. to 9 a.m., about 30 to 40 minutes a turn. No booking: flip the door sign from vacant to in use. A QR code in the room shows on your phone whether it is free. The washing floor is tatami matting and the tub and walls are early Showa tile. The three special rooms in the new wing, Suzuran, Rindo and Komakusa, each have a half-open-air bath fed straight from the source; the main-wing room Norikura has a unit bath with spring water piped in. The inn takes no stays of more than one night and has no elevator. Children under six cannot stay in the wooden main wing. Day-use bathing is suspended.
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