Otaru Kourakuen
おたる 宏楽園
Does Otaru Kourakuen allow tattoos? In a private bath
Twenty-eight of the thirty-four rooms open onto a private tub filled from the inn’s own well under the garden, which is drawn at 27 degrees and warmed before it reaches you.
The FAQ answers the question directly and refuses: guests with tattoos are asked to stay out of the large baths and the open-air baths, and the inn adds that this applies whether the tattoo is fashion or religious. Twenty-eight of its thirty-four rooms have an open-air bath of their own, usable from check-in to checkout, and that is the way to stay here. The rented bath, Kokage no Ideyu, is not covered either way by the refusal, so ask before counting on it.
Show this at the front desk
大変申し訳ございませんが、当館では入れ墨（刺青）・タトゥーのあるお客様は、大浴場・露天風呂へのご入浴はご遠慮いただいております。ファッション目的・宗教的理由による入れ墨・タトゥーであっても、他のお客様に不快な思いを与えてしまう恐れがありますので、何卒ご理解ご協力いただきますようよろしくお願い申し上げます。
The operator’s own wording, to show at the desk if you need to.
Where it is
Sapporo STN
JR Rapid Airport, then Chuo Bus about 1 h 10 of riding
Hakodate STN
Tomakomai STN
✈New Chitose Airport
Hotel locationAsarigawa Onsen STN
JR Hokkaido Rail Pass Five, seven or ten days of unlimited JR trains on the island, which covers the Rapid Airport from Sapporo or the airport to Otaru. The Hokkaido Chuo bus up to Asarigawa Onsen is paid separately. Sold on Klook.
What happens when you arrive
Skip the shared baths and reserve the private one the way this page describes. Once the door is closed, the bath is yours.
How we know
Confirmed from official site (the refusal from the inn’s own よくある質問 page; the room baths and the rented bath from /spa.html and /s_room.html)
Read on: otaru-kourakuen.com/qanda.html
Best for: An open-air tub on your own veranda over a garden the inn has kept for decades
The inn draws its own well on the grounds, an alkaline simple spring at pH 8.4, about 80 tonnes a day from 500 m down. The source is only 27°C, so the water is heated and recirculated; the operator says it never dilutes with tap water and only rarely tops up from a spring on site. Two shared baths, Iwa-no-yu and Mori-no-yuya, each with an indoor bath, an open-air bath and a sauna, swapped between men and women, 15:00 to 24:00 and 05:00 to 10:30; Mori-no-yuya added a Finnish sauna. The rented bath Kokage no Ideyu is an 80 m² room with a large tub, a small sauna and a sitting area with sofa and television in the changing room, at 3,300 yen for 60 minutes plus 550 yen per extra 10 up to 90. Day-use bathing is by reservation only, 3,400 yen for adults and 2,200 for children, 15:00 to 21:00 for up to three hours. All rooms non-smoking.
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