Kikyotei Yumotoya
帰郷亭ゆもとや
Does Kikyotei Yumotoya allow tattoos? In a private bath
Yumotoya has taken guests in the middle of Asama Onsen since 1887, and its sixth-floor private bath looks over the rooftops of Matsumoto to Mount Jonen in the Northern Alps.
Yumotoya publishes no tattoo rule. Its sixth-floor view bath, Nagomi, is a private bath that costs nothing and takes no reservation: when it is empty you go in and lock the door from the inside, at any hour. A tattooed guest can bathe there and skip the two shared bath halls.
The bath
The water is an alkaline simple spring, 49.7°C at the source, almost colorless and nearly without smell. The inn calls it mild on the skin and lists it for neuralgia, muscle and joint pain, stiff shoulders, sensitivity to cold and fatigue.
Nagomi, the private view bath, is on the sixth floor. It is free, it is open 24 hours, and it takes no booking: when it is empty you step in and lock the door from the inside. On a clear day the inn says Mount Jonen in the Northern Alps shows through the windows.
The inn counts six tubs in all. Kutsurogi on the first floor has two indoor tubs and a half-open-air bath under cover, usable in the rain. Yasuragi on the fourth floor has one indoor tub and an open-air bath, and the inn points to the scent of its cypress. Kutsurogi is the men's side from 3 p.m. to midnight and Yasuragi the women's; they swap at midnight and stay that way until 9 a.m. Shampoo, conditioner, body soap, razors and cotton swabs are in the changing rooms.
The hotel
Yumotoya opened in 1887 and calls itself an inn that feels like going back to a home town. All 22 rooms are Japanese-style and non-smoking: 20 of ten mats, most with a small veranda, and two of eight mats. Dinner and breakfast are served in the dining room Tsudoi or in a banquet room, not in the guest room. Wi-Fi reaches the first floor only. There is no curfew. Check-in is from 3 p.m. and check-out by 10 a.m. A convenience store is 30 seconds away on foot, by the inn's count.
Good to know
- The private bath has no sign-up sheet. If the door is unlocked it is yours; lock it behind you.
- The shared halls swap at midnight, so each side gets both the first-floor and the fourth-floor baths during a one-night stay.
- Parking is free, 25 cars across three lots; pull up at the entrance and staff lead you to a space.
- No station shuttle for now. The inn asks guests to take the Asama line bus or a taxi from Matsumoto Station.
Getting there
From Shinjuku take the JR Chuo Line limited express Azusa to Matsumoto Station. At the station's Oshiro (castle) exit plaza, board the Asama line bus at stand 23 and ride about 20 minutes to the Shimo-Asama Hiroba stop; the inn stands right beside it. From the Asama-bashi stop on the Shindai-Yokota loop buses the walk is about 5 minutes. By car the inn is about 20 minutes from Matsumoto interchange. 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 20 minutes to Shimo-Asama Hiroba, beside the inn.
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.
How we know
Bath layout confirmed, tattoo policy not published Checked on the official site (: the hot spring page and the FAQ describe the free private view bath Nagomi, locked from the inside, open 24 hours)
Best for: a free private bath with a Northern Alps view that you can walk into at any hour
Nagomi cannot be reserved; the inn's FAQ says to go in when it is free and lock the door. The two shared halls, Kutsurogi on the first floor and Yasuragi on the fourth, swap between men and women at midnight. Guest rooms have a unit bath that the inn asks guests not to use. A bath tax of ¥150 per adult is charged on top. The inn has stopped its Matsumoto Station shuttle for now.
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