Senami Hamanasuso
瀬波はまなす荘
Does Senami Hamanasuso allow tattoos? In a private bath
Hamanasuso is a four-story lodge facing the Sea of Japan, and six of its rooms have a round glazed tub on the balcony that it fills from the Senami source.
Hamanasuso publishes no tattoo rule for its shared baths. The way to bathe alone is to book one of its eight rooms with a tub of their own: six with an open-air bath on the balcony and two Japanese-modern special rooms with an indoor bath, all filled, the lodge says, with water from the source.
The bath
Eight rooms have a tub of their own, and the lodge says all of them use the source water. Six have an open-air bath on the balcony; the photos show a round, glazed red-brown tub with a ceramic spout, set on wooden decking behind a slatted screen. The lodge says you can bathe whenever you like, for as long as you like, with no one else around. Two Japanese-modern special rooms have an indoor bath instead. Guests in these rooms can use the shared baths as well.
The lodge tells the town's story: the spring burst out in 1904 when a crew drilling for oil struck boiling water, and it still comes up above 90°C, which is why people call it netsu-no-yu. It lists the water as a sodium chloride spring for nerve, muscle and joint pain, fatigue, stiff shoulders and cold sensitivity. The 2nd-floor view bath and the open-air bath, one of each for men and women, look over the sea toward Sado and Awashima, and the lodge says the sunset colors the water. They open noon to midnight and 5 to 9:30 a.m. Day bathing is listed from noon to 4 p.m. for ¥500, but the lodge asks day visitors to call first.
The hotel
A four-story concrete lodge run by the Niigata municipal employees' mutual aid association as a recreation lodge, open to anyone. The lodge says every room looks out on the sea. Most rooms are Japanese-style, with one single and four twins. Dinner, built on local seafood and Murakami beef, is served in the dining room Senami at 6, 6:30 or 7 p.m., chosen at check-in. There is Wi-Fi throughout, a shop, a foot bath, a facial salon on Saturdays and, beside the lodge, the Senami Campfield Somaru campground.
Good to know
- The car meets the train, at Murakami Station between 3 and 5 p.m., booked ahead; you may share it with other guests.
- Pick your dinner time at check-in: 6, 6:30 or 7 p.m.
- The front door locks from midnight to 4 a.m., so leave your key at the front desk if you go out late.
Getting there
From Niigata Station, take a JR train north to Murakami Station; the lodge publishes no train time. From Murakami, a taxi takes about 10 minutes. The lodge also runs a pickup from the station between 3 and 5 p.m., booked ahead; guests may share the car or wait a little. Drivers leave the Nihonkai-Tohoku Expressway at Kamihayashi-Iwafunekou IC, about 10 minutes away; parking is free for up to 70 cars.
Murakami STN · JR Uetsu line
Not walkable.
Taxi about 10 minutes, or the lodge's pickup from 3 to 5 p.m., booked ahead.
Where it is
Inn shuttle stop
- Joetsu Shinkansen 2 hr
- JR Inaho limited express 45 min
- lodge pickup 10 min
- Shinkansen tickets Seats between any two stations, booked by date.
- JR East Pass from ¥35,000 · 5 or 10 consecutive days Covers the Toki, a Joetsu Shinkansen service, to Niigata and the Inaho limited express on to Murakami.
- 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.
How we know
Bath layout confirmed, tattoo policy not published Checked on the official site: (the lodge's hot spring and room pages)
Best for: couples who want a sea-view room with its own spring-water tub at a quiet lodge with modest rates
Rooms with an open-air bath using the source water: 6; Japanese-modern special rooms whose indoor bath uses the source water: 2. Guests in these rooms may also use the shared baths. Shared baths: a 2nd-floor view bath and an open-air bath for each of men and women, noon to midnight and 5 to 9:30 a.m. Day bathing is listed for noon to 4 p.m. (last entry 3:30) at ¥500, but the FAQ says staying guests come first and asks day visitors to call. Run as a recreation lodge by the Niigata municipal employees' mutual aid association; members get lower rates, and anyone may book. All rooms non-smoking. The front door is locked from midnight to 4 a.m.
Check availabilityBooking 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.