Kamenoi Hotel Toba
亀の井ホテル 鳥羽
Does Kamenoi Hotel Toba allow tattoos? Yes, covered
Kamenoi Hotel Toba looks over the bay from the Anrakujima hillside, and its large bath takes a tattoo that a cover seal keeps out of sight, with no size named. The water blends the hotel's own cold spring with water trucked in.
The hotel turns tattooed guests away from its large bath unless a cover seal or something similar hides the tattoo from other bathers. It sets no size limit and does not say it sells seals, so bring your own. There is no private bath to book; four room types have their own open-air tub.
Show this at the front desk
入れ墨・タトゥーのあるお客さまは、大浴場のご利用をお断りしております。なお、タトゥーを隠すシール等により、他のお客さまから入れ墨等が見えない状態の場合はご利用いただけます。
The operator’s own wording, to show at the desk if you need to.
The bath
The hotel names its bath for the smell of the sea air and describes it as a natural hot spring that mixes water from its own source, which it calls rare in the Toba area, with water brought in from elsewhere. It is a hypotonic alkaline cold mineral spring, colorless, tasteless and odorless, which the hotel calls a skin-smoothing bath and lists for neuralgia, sore muscles, stiff shoulders, chronic digestive complaints, cold sensitivity and fatigue.
Each side has a large indoor tub and a newly built open-air bath that looks toward Toba Bay; the hotel says you can watch the stars from it on a clear night. The men's and women's sides do not swap, and there is no sauna. Staying guests can bathe from 5 to 9 a.m. and from 11 a.m. to midnight; on Wednesdays the bath opens at 3 p.m. for inspection. Body soap, shampoo, conditioner and dryers are provided, and the bath tax is ¥150 a night. Day visitors are welcome from 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m., last entry 9 p.m., for ¥1,200 on weekdays and ¥1,500 on weekends and holidays.
There is no private bath. Two room types on the Shiokaze Terrace, the Premium Room and the Superior Twin, have a hot spring open-air bath of their own. The Deluxe Japanese-Western Room and the Deluxe Room also have an open-air tub, but the hotel says it holds plain heated water.
The hotel
A Kamenoi Hotels resort run by Iconia Hospitality on high ground at Anrakujima, which the hotel calls the best view location in Toba. Rooms range from Japanese rooms of 8 to 15 mats and twins to family suites with an ocean-view terrace, a barrier-free twin with a ceiling lift, and the terrace rooms with open-air baths. Dinner and breakfast are in the restaurant; there are no room meals. The building is non-smoking apart from a booth on the second floor. Check-in 3 p.m., check-out 10 a.m.
Good to know
- Day bathing costs ¥1,200 on weekdays, from 11 a.m., last entry 9 p.m.
- Spring water in only two room types: the Premium Room and Superior Twin on the Shiokaze Terrace.
- Free shuttle from Toba Station at 2:30, 3:30 and 5:15 p.m.; book the morning return.
- Bring the bath towel from your room; the large bath has none.
Getting there
From Kintetsu Nagoya, the Kintetsu Nagoya Line limited express reaches Toba in about 1 hour 40 minutes; from Tsuruhashi in Osaka the Kintetsu Osaka Line limited express also takes about 1 hour 40 minutes. The free hotel bus waits at the inn and hotel bus parking below exit 1 of Kintetsu Toba Station and leaves at 2:30, 3:30 and 5:15 p.m. The ride is about 10 minutes. It returns to the station at 9:30 and 10 a.m. by reservation. A taxi takes about 10 minutes and costs around ¥2,000.
Toba STN · Kintetsu Toba Line (limited express from Kintetsu Nagoya)
Not walkable.
Free hotel bus from Kintetsu Toba exit 1 at 2:30, 3:30 and 5:15 p.m., about 10 minutes; taxi about 10 minutes.
Where it is
Hotel bus stop
- Kintetsu limited express 1 hr 35 min
- hotel bus about 10 min
- Shinkansen tickets Seats between any two stations, booked by date.
- Kintetsu Rail Pass, 5 days ¥4,900 Worth it if you’re coming from Osaka, or stopping at Ise or Nara on the way. It covers Kintetsu trains between Osaka, Kyoto, Nara, Ise, Toba and Nagoya; the limited express seat is extra, about ¥1,340 from Nagoya or ¥1,640 from Osaka. From Nagoya and back, ordinary tickets cost less.
- Ise Grand Shrine and Toba Aquarium day tour Ise Grand Shrine, the Wedded Rocks at Futami, and Toba Aquarium or Mikimoto Pearl Island, from Nagoya.
- 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
Bring your own seals and cover the tattoo completely before you go in. The hotel doesn't specify a size, so cover everything.
How we know
Confirmed from official site (the hotel’s FAQ, under hot springs and large baths)
Best for: a covered tattoo in a rooftop-style open-air bath over Toba Bay, with no size limit stated
The spring, which the hotel names for the smell of the sea air, is a hypotonic alkaline cold mineral spring; the hotel blends water from its own source with water brought in by truck. There is one large bath per side with an indoor tub and a new open-air bath; the sides do not swap and there is no sauna. Hours for staying guests are 5 to 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. to midnight, from 3 p.m. on Wednesdays. Day bathing runs 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. (last entry 9 p.m.) for 1,200 yen on weekdays and 1,500 yen on weekends and holidays. The Premium Room and Superior Twin on the Shiokaze Terrace have a hot spring open-air bath; the Deluxe Japanese-Western Room and the Deluxe Room have an open-air tub of plain heated water, as the hotel states. Bring a bath towel from the room. Check-in 3 p.m., check-out 10 a.m.
Book your stay
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