Yubo Ichiraku Tendo Spa and Brewery
湯坊いちらく
Does Yubo Ichiraku Tendo Spa and Brewery allow tattoos? In a private bath
Every one of the seven suites in Ichiraku’s annex has an open-air bath running straight from the Tendo spring, and the inn brews its own beer in a brewery inside the building.
Ichiraku publishes no tattoo rule for its shared baths. The seven suites of its annex, Bettei Otoan, each have an open-air bath fed by the spring and usable at any hour, and the inn rents two open-air private baths, so a tattooed guest can stay without using the shared bath.
The bath
The water is the Tendo Onsen spring, a sodium-calcium sulfate spring that the inn lists for digestive pain, neuralgia and women's ailments, and calls a bath for the skin. The shared baths, a large bath shaped like a shogi (Japanese chess) piece and an open-air bath under flowering trees, open 5 a.m. to midnight. The open-air bath runs straight from the source; the inn says the indoor large bath does not.
The annex, Bettei Otoan, is seven suites in wooden sukiya style, and every one has its own open-air bath of spring water flowing through, open 24 hours. The inn says each tub has its own small shape, sized for two. Types D and E are open-air bath rooms, one with two verandas and a dining room; F is the top suite, with a bedroom and walls of wood and earth.
Two private open-air baths sit on the first floor of the Tsukikoma building: the Zao-iwa rock bath and a cypress bath. They cost ¥2,200 for 50 minutes, must be booked, and are free to guests on all-inclusive plans. A private sauna, Tsukiakari, is booked as an option with the room.
The hotel
Ichiraku is an onsen inn with its own in-house craft brewery, Tendo Brewery, and a storehouse over 100 years old that it has renovated into new guest spaces. The main building has Japanese rooms, twins and a theater room for films or remote work; the annex has its own guests-only lounge and a keyed wing that other guests may not enter. All-inclusive plans cover drinks, the brewery's beer and the private baths. Trip.com gives 50 rooms in all.
Good to know
- Annex tubs are open 24 hours, and the wing is keyed to annex guests only.
- Book an all-inclusive plan, and the two private open-air baths cost nothing.
- Day visitors bathe for ¥1,500, towels and a yukata (a light cotton robe) included, weekdays 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. entry.
- Beer is brewed on site, and poured to day visitors and staying guests alike.
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. The inn counts 2 hours 50 minutes from Tokyo Station to Tendo on the Yamagata Shinkansen, and 25 minutes from Yamagata by car on the Yamagata bypass. It publishes no walking time from Tendo Station and mentions no shuttle.
Tendo STN · JR Ou Main Line (Yamagata Shinkansen Tsubasa)
The inn publishes no walking time.
The inn mentions no shuttle.
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
Use the bath in your room, or reserve a private bath.
How we know
Bath layout confirmed, tattoo policy not published Checked on the official site (: the annex page says every suite has a spring-fed open-air bath, and the spa page lists the two private baths)
Best for: couples who want a spring-fed open-air tub of their own and a beer brewed on the premises
The annex Bettei Otoan has seven suites in wooden sukiya style, types D, E and F, each with an open-air bath fed straight from the spring and open 24 hours; only annex guests hold a key to that wing. The private baths are the Zao-iwa rock bath and the cypress bath on the first floor of the Tsukikoma building: 50 minutes for ¥2,200, booked ahead, free on all-inclusive plans. Room type C in the main building also has an open-air bath, but the inn says the main building’s room baths and the indoor large bath are not straight spring water.
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