Sun Cherry Kitago
サンチェリーきたごう
Does Sun Cherry Kitago allow tattoos? In a private bath
Sun Cherry Kitago is the city’s own bathhouse, reopened in December 2024, and its three family baths with their own open-air tubs rent for ¥2,500 an hour by phone.
The city publishes no tattoo rule for the bathhouse. The private answer is its three family baths, each with an indoor and an outdoor tub, rented for an hour at ¥2,500 and booked by phone.
The bath
The city's page lists the rooms and the prices but prints no spring analysis, so the water is described here only as Kitago hot spring. The shared side has a large bath, a sauna and an outdoor bath, with rest areas and vending machines; the photos show a long tiled indoor tub under big windows, a stone-rimmed outdoor tub in a tiled courtyard with a cedar-plank sauna beside it. The big bath provides no shampoo, soap or towels, so bring your own. It opens from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., last entry 7 p.m., and closes on the second and fourth Mondays and from December 30 to January 2. Adults pay ¥600 and children through elementary school ¥300; an 11-visit pass is ¥6,000 and a 23-visit pass ¥12,000, with discounts for national health insurance holders.
The private answer is the three family baths. Each is a room with an indoor tub and an outdoor one; the photo shows an oval tub with a polished stone rim set in a floor of pink and rust flagstones under a timber pergola, walled with translucent panels. A room costs ¥2,500 an hour and is booked only by phone, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on business days.
The hotel
A municipal bathhouse in the Kitago hot spring district, run directly by Nichinan city and reopened on December 21, 2024 after a renovation. The building holds the big bath, sauna and outdoor bath on the shared side, the three family rooms, rest areas and vending machines. Admission is ¥600 for the shared baths, or ¥2,500 an hour for one of the three family rooms, booked by phone.
Good to know
- Family baths are booked by phone only, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on business days.
- Bring soap, shampoo and a towel; the big bath provides none.
- Closed the second and fourth Mondays and over New Year.
- Last entry 7 p.m., an hour before closing.
Getting there
The city publishes no transit directions for the bathhouse, only its address in Ofuji, Kitago. It sits in the same district as the Kitago inns, which put Kitago Station on the JR Nichinan Line about 5 minutes away by taxi; the line runs from Miyazaki Station in about an hour. Expect to drive or take a taxi from the station.
Kitago STN · JR Nichinan Line
The city publishes no walking time.
Taxi from Kitago Station; parking at the bathhouse.
Where it is
Kitago STN
- Kyushu Shinkansen 1 hr 16 min
- Kirishima express 2 hr 10 min
- JR Nichinan line 1 hr
- Shinkansen tickets Seats between any two stations, booked by date.
- JR Kyushu Rail Pass from ¥12,000 · 3, 5 or 7 consecutive days Worth it if you’re coming by train from Hakata.
- Takachiho day tour Takachiho Gorge, Takachiho and Amanoiwato shrines and the Amanoyasukawara cave.
- 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 by phone.
How we know
Bath layout confirmed, tattoo policy not published from the city’s own page:
Read on: city.nichinan.lg.jp/soshikikarasagasu/kanko_cruiseka/1/3/5913.html
Best for: a ¥2,500 hour in a family bath with its own open-air tub, run by the city
Reopened December 21, 2024 under the city after a renovation. Open 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., last entry 7 p.m.; closed the second and fourth Mondays (the next day if a holiday) and December 30 to January 2. Adults ¥600, children ¥300; 11-visit pass ¥6,000, 23-visit pass ¥12,000. No shampoo, soap or towels are provided in the big bath.
The map shows every hotel close by. We haven’t checked their tattoo rules: sleep there, bathe here. Search Booking.com instead
Booking through this link 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.
For current hours and prices, see the official website.