Oyado Kokoro
おやど 心
Does Oyado Kokoro allow tattoos? In a private bath
Oyado Kokoro is a nine-room inn where all three baths are private and free, two of them with a small open-air tub behind glass doors.
Oyado Kokoro has no shared bath at all: its three baths are all private, free, and taken one party at a time, so tattoos never come up. Between 3 p.m. and midnight guests book a 45-minute turn on a board by the bath doors; after midnight the baths are open without booking. The inn publishes no tattoo rule.
The bath
There is no large shared bath here. The inn has three bathrooms and every one is private, free and open around the clock. Two of the three have an open-air part.
The system is simple. From 3 p.m. to midnight the baths are by reservation. A board hangs beside the bath entrance, and guests write in the time they want, up to 45 minutes per party, in the order they check in. The inn takes no bath bookings before arrival. After midnight the board no longer applies and any free bath can be used.
The inn's photo of one bath shows a deep rectangular indoor tub edged in black stone, a tiled washing area with two showers, and glass doors to a small walled court with a second, stone-rimmed tub under the sky. Body soap, shampoo, conditioner, razors and cotton swabs are in the bathrooms. Cleansing oil, face wash, lotion and shower caps are at the front desk. On winter weekdays the inn may close one or more of the three.
The hotel
The inn has nine rooms: four 10-mat Japanese rooms and five Western twins, all non-smoking with a toilet, a washbasin and free Wi-Fi. It sells room-only stays. An izakaya (a Japanese pub) on the first floor, also called Kokoro, serves Hida beef skewers, hoba miso (miso grilled on a magnolia leaf) and Takayama ramen from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. and is open to non-guests. Check-in is from 3 p.m., with last check-in at 9 p.m., and check-out is by 10 a.m. Parking for 11 cars is free, before check-in and after check-out too. There is no elevator, and the inn does not accept guests aged 11 or under.
Good to know
- Write your name on the board early. Evening turns go in order of check-in, 45 minutes each.
- After midnight no booking is needed, and the baths stay open through the night.
- Towels are in the room; yukata (a light cotton robe), tea and coffee are picked up at the front desk.
- No guests aged 11 or under, and no elevator in the building.
Getting there
Take the JR Hida limited express from Nagoya Station to Takayama Station; the inn publishes no minutes for the ride. From the station the inn says it is 5 minutes by car or 10 minutes by bus, and it names no bus route or stop. The inn publishes no walking time and runs no shuttle. Drivers turn toward the Hida Folk Village from Route 158.
Takayama STN · JR Takayama Main Line
The inn publishes no walking time.
5 minutes by car or 10 minutes by bus from the station, by the inn's count; no shuttle.
Where it is
Takayama STN
- Shinkansen tickets Seats between any two stations, booked by date.
- JR Takayama-Hokuriku Area Tourist Pass ¥19,800 · 5 consecutive days Worth it if Gero, Shirakawa-go or Kanazawa is on the same trip.
- 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
There's no shared bath here, so every bath you use is private.
How we know
Bath layout confirmed, tattoo policy not published Checked on the official site (: the inn's page lists three free private baths and how they are booked)
Best for: a budget room-only stay where every bath is private and free
Three private baths, free, usable 24 hours; two have an open-air part. From 3 p.m. to midnight each party books up to 45 minutes on the board beside the bath entrance, in order of check-in; no booking is taken before arrival. After midnight the baths are free to use. On winter weekdays the inn may not run all three. Guests aged 11 and under are not accepted. The building has no elevator. Last check-in is 9 p.m.
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