Yuyado Izumiya Zenbe
湯宿 和泉屋善兵衛
Does Yuyado Izumiya Zenbe allow tattoos? In a private bath
At Izumiya Zenbe every room comes with 40 minutes in a private bath, whether the cypress box of Tsukama-no-yu, the barrel tub of Komorebi-no-yu or the open-air stone pool of Yamanobe-no-yu.
Izumiya Zenbe publishes no tattoo rule. Every room plan includes 40 minutes in one of its three private baths, booked at check-in, so a tattooed guest can bathe without using the shared indoor bath.
The bath
The inn draws its own source beside the building: 30 liters a minute at 42.2°C, a mildly alkaline simple spring it lists for neuralgia, rheumatism, joint and muscle pain, back pain and stiff shoulders.
The three private baths are the heart of the place. Tsukama-no-yu is the small indoor one, with a square cypress tub the inn compares to a wooden sake cup. Komorebi-no-yu is a roofed half-open-air bath with a large cypress barrel and a wide window on the garden, meant for families and groups. Yamanobe-no-yu pairs an all-cypress indoor tub with an open-air pool of blue-green stone ringed by trees. Each party gets one 40-minute turn between 2 and 10 p.m., booked at check-in. The room type decides the bath: 6-mat rooms use Tsukama-no-yu, 8-mat rooms Komorebi-no-yu, and the 10-mat rooms and the 8-mat room with bath use Yamanobe-no-yu. Guests can pay to move up, ¥1,650 to ¥2,200 for Komorebi-no-yu and ¥2,200 to ¥3,300 for Yamanobe-no-yu, while slots last.
The shared bath, Goten-no-yu, has a men's and a women's side lined in old mosaic tile. Staying guests use it free at any hour outside cleaning. It is named for the bathing villa the lords of Matsumoto Castle kept here.
The hotel
The front is built to look like a plastered storehouse, a style still seen around Matsumoto. Rooms are Japanese: 6, 8 and 10 mats with a washbasin and toilet, an 8-mat room with its own bathroom, and one 16-mat storehouse-style room for up to nine. Dinner is a course of Nagano produce in private dining rooms at tables and chairs, with a choice of starter, grilled dish and hot-pot dish for each guest. The lounge has Matsumoto folk-craft furniture and free coffee after breakfast. The family traces itself to sake brewers who came to Matsumoto in 1642 and opened the inn after moving here in 1874. The whole building is non-smoking and has stairs only.
Good to know
- Book your private bath at check-in. Turns are 40 minutes a party, from 2 to 10 p.m.
- The shared indoor bath never closes except for cleaning, and is free to staying guests.
- No elevator. The inn says every room is reached by stairs and it cannot take wheelchairs.
- Free parking across the street, diagonally from the building.
Getting there
From Shinjuku take the JR Chuo Line limited express Azusa to Matsumoto Station, 2 hours 38 minutes at the fastest by the inn's count. Then ride the Alpico number 31 Utsukushigahara Onsen line bus about 21 minutes to the Utsukushigahara Onsen stop and walk 3 minutes. A taxi from the station takes about 15 minutes. From Nagoya the limited express Shinano reaches Matsumoto in 2 hours 5 minutes at the fastest.
Matsumoto STN · JR Chuo Line (Azusa limited express)
Not walkable.
Number 31 bus to Utsukushigahara Onsen, about 21 minutes, then 3 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 at the front desk when you check in.
How we know
Bath layout confirmed, tattoo policy not published Checked on the official site (: the hot spring page and the rooms page say each stay comes with 40 minutes in a private bath and list the three baths)
Best for: a private bath included with every room, with a paid upgrade to the open-air one
Three private baths, used 40 minutes a party between 2 and 10 p.m. and booked at check-in. Tsukama-no-yu is a small indoor bath with a square cypress tub shaped like a sake measure. Komorebi-no-yu is a roofed half-open-air bath with a big cypress barrel tub, sized for families and groups. Yamanobe-no-yu has an all-cypress indoor tub and an open-air tub of blue-green stone among trees. Which bath you get follows the room type: 6-mat rooms get Tsukama-no-yu, 8-mat rooms Komorebi-no-yu, and the 8-mat room with bath and the 10-mat rooms Yamanobe-no-yu. Upgrades cost ¥1,650 on weekdays and ¥2,200 before holidays for Komorebi-no-yu, and ¥2,200 and ¥3,300 for Yamanobe-no-yu. Day visitors book a bath through a Japanese booking site. The foot bath and walking bath are closed for now. No elevator; rooms are reached by stairs.
Book your stay
- BBooking.comCheck availability
- AAgodaCheck availability
- TTrip.comCheck availability
- EExpediaCheck availability
- HHotels.comCheck availability
Booking through these links costs you nothing extra and earns us a small commission, which keeps this guide free and up to date for our tattoo community. Thanks for your support.