Hotel New Kotobuki
ホテルニューことぶき
Does Hotel New Kotobuki allow tattoos? In a private bath
Hotel New Kotobuki keeps one private open-air bath, a brown Shigaraki ceramic tub set in a cypress-walled room beside a small garden, and lets day visitors book it by the 50 minutes.
Hotel New Kotobuki publishes no tattoo rule. It rents a private open-air bath, Kotobuki-an, for 40 minutes to staying guests and for 50 minutes to day visitors, and it has rooms with their own open-air spring bath, so a tattooed guest never has to use the shared baths.
The bath
The water is an alkaline simple spring at 42.8°C, nearly colorless and clear. The hotel calls it mild on the skin and says regular guests find it keeps them warm afterward. It lists the spring for neuralgia, muscle and joint pain, stiff shoulders, bruises, sprains, poor circulation and fatigue.
Kotobuki-an is the private open-air bath. The tub is a wide round bowl of Shigaraki pottery, set in a room walled in Kiso cypress that opens on a small garden behind a bamboo fence. A room next to it is for changing and resting, which the hotel says suits families with small children. Staying guests pay ¥2,200 for 40 minutes and fix the time at check-in, between 3 and 9 p.m. Day visitors can book the bath alone for 50 minutes at ¥3,960, plus ¥20 bathing tax an adult, with starts on the half hour from 1:30 to 6:30 p.m. There are stairs on the way.
The rooms with an open-air bath have a tub of spring water by a window that faces the Northern Alps on clear days, and a separate shower room. The shared large baths are a tatami-floored bath and a bath of Towada stone, which swap between men and women, with an open-air bath outside.
The hotel
The hotel has 22 rooms for up to 100 guests. It began as Kotobuki Ryokan in 1960 and opened under its present name in 1976; the baths were rebuilt in 1992 and the open-air bath rooms were refitted in 2009. Most rooms are 10-mat Japanese rooms on the hill side; there are also a 20-mat room for eight, a twin and a small economy room. Dinner is a Japanese kaiseki (a multi-course Japanese meal) set with Shinshu produce. All rooms have been non-smoking since 2020. Check-in is at 3 p.m. and check-out at 10 a.m.
Good to know
- Day visitors can book the private bath, 50 minutes for ¥3,960, paid in cash five minutes before the start.
- Staying guests set the time at check-in and pay ¥2,200 for 40 minutes.
- Free parking for ordinary cars, with one 200-volt outlet for electric cars at ¥1,100 a charge.
Getting there
From Shinjuku take the JR Chuo Line limited express Azusa to Matsumoto Station. From Matsumoto Bus Terminal ride the bus bound for Utsukushigahara Onsen about 18 minutes (¥340) to the last stop, then walk 2 minutes back the way the bus came. A taxi takes about 15 minutes and costs about ¥2,300. From Nagoya the limited express Shinano runs to Matsumoto.
Matsumoto STN · JR Chuo Line (Azusa limited express)
Not walkable.
Bus to the Utsukushigahara Onsen terminus, about 18 minutes (¥340), then 2 minutes on foot; taxi about 15 minutes.
Where it is
Utsukushigahara 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
Use the bath in your room, or reserve a private bath.
How we know
Bath layout confirmed, tattoo policy not published Checked on the official site (: the hot spring page gives the private open-air bath, its hours and its fee, and the rooms page lists a room type with a natural hot spring open-air bath)
Best for: a private open-air bath in a Shigaraki ceramic tub, open to day visitors too
Kotobuki-an is a private open-air bath: a round Shigaraki ceramic tub in a room of Kiso cypress facing a small garden, with a room beside it for changing and resting. Staying guests pay ¥2,200 for 40 minutes; slots are taken from 3 to 7 p.m. for use up to 9 p.m., and the time is settled at check-in. Day visitors can book it alone for 50 minutes at ¥3,960 plus ¥20 bathing tax an adult, starting on the half hour from 1:30 to 6:30 p.m., paid in cash on arrival. A lunch plan with 40 minutes in the bath runs 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. for two to four adults, booked two days ahead. There are stairs on the way to the bath. The rooms with an open-air bath are 12.5 mats, were refitted in 2009 and sleep up to four; the hotel says the tub is natural hot spring water and that the Northern Alps show in clear weather.
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