Komatsukan Kofutei
小松館 好風亭
Does Komatsukan Kofutei allow tattoos? In a private bath
Komatsukan Kofutei's private bath, Asahimi-no-yu, looks straight out over the islands of Matsushima Bay, and part of the tub is a standing bath 130 cm deep.
The inn publishes no tattoo rule for its shared baths. What it does offer is a private open-air bath over the bay, Asahimi-no-yu, at ¥2,000 a session, and five rooms with their own view bath of hot spring water. Either one keeps the question out of the shared bath.
The bath
The private bath is Asahimi-no-yu, the sunrise bath, an open-air tub on a deck facing the bay and its pine-covered islands. Part of it is a standing bath 130 cm deep, so the inn asks parents to watch children; the tub seats five or six adults. A shower booth sits beside it, with fresh towels. It takes ten groups a day at ¥2,000 a session, 4 to 11 p.m. and 5 to 9 a.m. by last entry. Choose an open time when you check in; the inn's day plan gives a session as 45 minutes. Guests in the five view-bath rooms who book on the inn's own site can reserve a time ahead by phone.
Those five rooms, Sekkoku, Uminiwa, Matsukaze, Oimatsu and Shiosai, each have their own view bath of hot spring water. Sekkoku's half-open-air bath is the closest to the bay and has a glass shutter for cold or windy days; Oimatsu's tub is cypress.
The shared baths are Miharashi-no-yu, two halls that swap between men and women early in the morning, open 3 p.m. to midnight and 4:30 to 10 a.m., with the small open-air Shio-no-koroten beside them. The water is an alkaline simple spring, which the inn calls a beauty bath, for nerve, muscle and joint pain and fatigue. A foot bath on a moon-viewing deck overlooks the bay.
The hotel
The Komatsu family opened its first inn in Shiogama in 1936 and built this one on a hill over the bay in 1973 as Hotel New Komatsu. It took the name Kofutei after the 2011 earthquake, from a phrase in Basho's travel diary. Rooms run from tatami rooms to Japanese-Western suites with beds. Dinner is a choice of three: a Japanese full course, a charcoal-grill course at the Bengara Kamado restaurant, or a meal served in the room.
Good to know
- Book the private bath at the desk, since slots go to arriving guests first; check in early.
- The standing bath is 130 cm deep, so small children need a hand.
- A foot bath on a moon-viewing deck is open from sunrise to 10 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Getting there
From Sendai Station, take the JR Senseki line to Matsushima-Kaigan Station, about 30 minutes by the inn's chart; the Tohoku Shinkansen from Tokyo to Sendai takes about 1 hour 40 minutes. The inn's map puts it on the bay shore east of Godaido and Fukuura Bridge. It publishes no walking time or shuttle. Drivers leave the Sanriku Expressway at Matsushima-Kaigan IC.
Matsushima-Kaigan STN · JR Senseki line
About 1 km from the station.
About 30 minutes from Sendai on the Senseki line by the inn's own chart.
Where it is
- Shinkansen tickets Seats between any two stations, booked by date.
- JR East Pass from ¥35,000 · 5 or 10 consecutive days For the days you leave the city.
- Naruko Gorge and Ginzan Onsen autumn tour The Naruko Gorge in autumn color and Ginzan Onsen’s old inn street, a day from Sendai.
- 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 reserve a private bath by phone.
How we know
Bath layout confirmed, tattoo policy not published Checked on the official site: (the inn's private bath page and its page of rooms with a hot spring bath)
Best for: couples who want a private soak facing the islands of Matsushima Bay, or a room with its own view bath
Asahimi-no-yu is an open-air private bath with a standing section 130 cm deep, room for five or six adults, a shower booth and fresh towels; ten groups a day, ¥2,000 a session, 4 to 11 p.m. and 5 to 9 a.m. (last entry). Guests pick an open slot on arrival, after check-in; the inn's day plan gives the session as 45 minutes. Guests who book one of the five view-bath rooms on the inn's own site can reserve the private bath in advance by phone. The five rooms with a view bath are Sekkoku, Uminiwa, Matsukaze, Oimatsu and Shiosai; the inn says Matsukaze's bath was fitted with hot spring water in its April 2025 renovation.
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