Onyado Ishikawa
御宿 石川
Does Onyado Ishikawa allow tattoos? In a private bath
Onyado Ishikawa takes only three parties a day, one to a floor, and its two source-fed baths, one in pink tile facing the garden and one in 1950s mosaic, can each be taken privately.
Onyado Ishikawa publishes no tattoo rule. It takes three parties a day and marks both of its baths as available for private use until 10 p.m., so a tattooed guest can bathe alone.
The bath
Both baths run straight from the source with nothing recirculated. The water is a mildly alkaline simple spring that arrives at 42 to 45°C, and the inn lists it for neuralgia, chronic digestive trouble and fatigue.
Either bath can be taken privately, and bathing runs until 10 p.m. Hanare-no-yu is the bath in the added wing: a square tub rimmed in black stone, walls of small pink tiles with a panel of orange and black mosaic, and corner windows on the garden. For limited periods the inn floats yuzu or apples in it for the scent. Showa-no-yu is in the main house, a small bath lined in the very fine mosaic tile of the 1950s and 1960s, with yellow washbowls the inn calls nostalgic. The inn points out that tiles this small are no longer made, and that laying them took a skilled hand.
A bathing tax of ¥150 is added for each adult.
The hotel
The inn dates its founding to 1600 and says its family, descended from the Matsumoto lord Ishikawa Kazumasa, has kept the lords' bath house and an inn here for sixteen generations. The building has white plaster walls with the raised lattice pattern of storehouses. It takes three parties a day, one to a floor, each in two connecting Japanese rooms, and serves dinner and breakfast in the room. The landlady cooks. All rooms have heating, air conditioning, a television and internet. Parking is free.
Good to know
- Both baths can be taken privately, until 10 p.m.
- Three parties a day, one to a floor, so families with small children have a floor to themselves.
- Meals come to the room. Courses include a seasonal one of wild greens in spring and matsutake in autumn.
Getting there
From Shinjuku take the JR Chuo Line limited express Azusa to Matsumoto Station. From the bus terminal in front of the station ride the bus bound for Utsukushigahara Onsen about 20 minutes to the Utsukushigahara Onsen stop; the inn is a 1-minute walk. By car it is 6 kilometers from the Matsumoto interchange. From Nagoya the limited express Shinano runs to Matsumoto.
Matsumoto STN · JR Chuo Line (Azusa limited express)
Not walkable.
Bus to the Utsukushigahara Onsen stop, about 20 minutes, then 1 minute on foot; free parking.
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 marks both baths, Hanare-no-yu and Showa-no-yu, as open to private use until 10 p.m.)
Best for: a three-party inn where both small tiled baths can be taken privately and dinner comes to the room
Two baths, both fed straight from the source and both open to private use, with bathing until 10 p.m. Hanare-no-yu is the newer bath, tiled in pink with windows on the garden; in season the inn floats yuzu or apples in it. Showa-no-yu, in the main house, is a private bath lined in the tiny mosaic tiles of the 1950s and 1960s. The inn takes three parties a day, one to a floor, in rooms of two connecting Japanese rooms, and serves meals in the room. The inn also runs two whole-house rentals nearby under the name Bettei Tsukanoma, with a private sauna and spring bath; those are a separate booking.
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