Hohoemi no Yado Takinoyu
ほほえみの宿 滝の湯
Does Hohoemi no Yado Takinoyu allow tattoos? Yes!
Takinoyu is the one inn in Tendo that writes its tattoo answer down: its accessibility page says guests with tattoos may use the large baths, Beni-no-yu and Ai-no-yu, about 1,000 square meters between them.
Takinoyu’s accessibility page lists, under its large baths, that guests with tattoos may bathe, and it names no cover-up condition. If you would rather bathe alone, two garden baths can be rented for 50 minutes through the front desk.
The bath
Tendo Onsen was found in 1911 and opened the next year, and the hotel's newest source, No. 10, was drilled for the spring's 110th year in 2021. The hotel describes the water as a weakly alkaline sulfate spring, rich in sodium and calcium. It lists it for fatigue, stiffness and pain, cuts, poor circulation, cold sensitivity and dry skin, and says the metasilicic acid is good for the skin. The large baths run on a recirculating system with silver ions, which the hotel says keeps chlorine to a minimum.
The women's bath Beni-no-yu and the men's bath Ai-no-yu fill the first floor of the annex, about 1,000 square meters between them, and each has a small open-air tub. They open 5:30 to 10 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. to midnight, except 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on Wednesdays.
The garden private baths, called Yuan, are Sakuranbo (cherry) and Koma (shogi piece), reached through the main lobby. The hotel says they are the only baths in the house with 100 percent Tendo spring flowing straight through. They are paid, 50 minutes a turn, and booked at the front desk. Both are step-free with a wheelchair shower. Some rooms also have their own open-air spring bath with a view.
The hotel
Takinoyu calls itself a house of 80 rooms of many kinds, from standard Japanese rooms to modern suites with a rooftop terrace, a sauna or an open-air spring bath. Dinner plans center on Yonezawa beef sukiyaki or shabu-shabu kaiseki (a multi-course Japanese meal), with private dining rooms Kurazen and Hanaguruma for set meals. There is free parking for 200 cars, and a free microbus meets guests at Tendo Station if they call ahead.
Good to know
- Bathing wraps for women are on hand, listed with tub handrails and children's bath seats among the large bath's aids.
- The garden baths are the only ones on pure spring water, 50 minutes a turn, booked at the front desk.
- Closed Wednesday mid-day. The large baths shut 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on Wednesdays for maintenance.
- Free microbus from Tendo Station, if you call the hotel before you arrive.
Getting there
From Yamagata Station take the JR Ou line local train to Tendo Station, about 20 minutes and ¥260, or the Yamagata Shinkansen Tsubasa, about 10 minutes. From Tendo Station the hotel runs a free microbus if you call ahead; otherwise it is about 15 minutes on foot or 5 minutes by car. From Yamagata Airport the hotel counts about 20 minutes by car.
Tendo STN · JR Ou Main Line (Yamagata Shinkansen Tsubasa)
About 15 minutes.
Free hotel microbus from Tendo Station, booked ahead.
Where it is
Tendo STN
- Shinkansen tickets Seats between any two stations, booked by date.
- JR East Pass from ¥35,000 · 5 or 10 consecutive days Covers the whole ride: the Tsubasa, the Yamagata Shinkansen, runs from Tokyo to Tendo with no change, and the inns are a walk or a free pickup from the station.
- Yamadera, Tendo and Ginzan day trip Yamadera’s mountain temple, a stop in Tendo and a stroll through Ginzan Onsen, 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
Check in and go to the bath. There's no seal to buy and nothing to mention at the front desk.
How we know
Confirmed from official site (the universal-access page, under the large bath heading)
タトゥーがある方の入浴可
The operator’s own wording. Show it if anyone asks.
Best for: tattooed travelers who want a big shared spring bath with no seals to buy
The large baths open 5:30 to 10 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. to midnight, and close 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on Wednesdays for maintenance. The garden baths Sakuranbo and Koma are paid, 50 minutes each; the hotel publishes no price and asks guests to ask at the front desk. The hotel says these two are the only baths in the building fed 100 percent by the Tendo spring and flowing through; the large baths recirculate the water with a silver-ion system. Women’s bathing wraps are available for the large bath.
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