Ryokan Yamadaya
旅館 山田屋
Does Ryokan Yamadaya allow tattoos? In a private bath
Yamadaya's rooftop cypress bath faces the sunset over Tachibana Bay, and once the sun is down, from 7:30 to 11 p.m., the inn hands it over to one party at a time, free and by reservation.
Yamadaya publishes no tattoo rule. Its rooftop cypress bath, Irihi-no-yu, is a men's and women's bath until 7:30 p.m. and again in the morning, but from 7:30 to 11 p.m. it becomes a reserved private bath, free, in 30- to 60-minute turns. That evening slot is the tattooed guest's bath.
The bath
The inn's water is the Obama chloride salt spring, flowing through from a source the page puts at 105°C, the hottest in Japan, with the town's 15,000 tons a day behind it. Yamadaya lists shoulder and back pain, rheumatism and stomach trouble as what it helps.
The main bath is on the roof. Irihi-no-yu is a cypress open-air bath looking out over Tachibana Bay, and the inn tells you to be in it at sunset. It is a men's and women's bath from 3 to 7:30 p.m. and 6 to 9 a.m. From 7:30 to 11 p.m., after dark, it turns into a reserved private bath: one party at a time, 30 to 60 minutes, at no charge. The page does not say where the reservation is made, so ask at check-in. Downstairs is Giyaman-buro, an indoor bath named for the old Nagasaki word for stained glass, with colored glass and a jacuzzi, open 3 to 11 p.m. and 6 to 10 a.m. Day visitors pay 800 yen for the rooftop bath or 500 yen for the indoor one, towel included.
The hotel
Yamadaya has 12 rooms: nine 8-mat tatami rooms facing the sea, one new Western bedroom on the sea side with a projector and a step-free layout, and three 6-mat rooms on the mountain side that sell a little cheaper. The style is folk-craft, with a traditional entrance and a free lounge of massage chairs open 3 to 9 p.m. Meals of Shimabara peninsula produce are served in private rooms. Whole building non-smoking; check-in 3 p.m., check-out 10 a.m.
Good to know
- The private slot is free, 7:30 to 11 p.m. on the roof, 30 to 60 minutes a party.
- Before 7:30 the roof is a shared bath, so plan the private turn for after dinner.
- Day use with towel is 800 yen, but the rooftop bath is only shared by day.
- Municipal parking is free for guests; the inn gives directions on request.
Getting there
From Isahaya Station the inn gives 60 minutes by bus to Obama; it names no stop, and its 905 block is a minute from the Nishi-Tozanguchi stop by the neighboring inn's count. From Hakata, the inn lists a highway bus of about 2 hours 40 minutes to Isahaya and then the local bus, or the JR Kamome to Isahaya in about 1 hour 40 minutes.
Isahaya STN · JR Nagasaki Main Line and Nishi-Kyushu Shinkansen (Kamome), then the Shimatetsu bus
Not walkable.
Bus about 60 minutes to Obama; the inn names no stop or walking time.
Where it is
Obama bus stop
- JR limited express 57 min
- Nishi-Kyushu Shinkansen 20 min
- Shimatetsu bus 58 min
- Shinkansen tickets Seats between any two stations, booked by date.
- JR Kyushu Rail Pass from ¥12,000 · 3, 5 or 7 consecutive days Worth it if you’re coming from Hakata by train.
- Kyushu SunQ Pass Worth it if you’d rather ride buses. It covers the Shimatetsu buses from Isahaya and the direct bus from Nagasaki Station to Unzen, and highway buses across the island.
- 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 hot spring page sets out the evening reserved private use of the rooftop bath, free of charge)
Best for: a family on a budget that wants a rooftop bath to itself after dinner
Irihi-no-yu, a cypress open-air bath on the roof facing Tachibana Bay: men's and women's 3 to 7:30 p.m. and 6 to 9 a.m.; reserved private use 7:30 to 11 p.m., free, 30 to 60 minutes a turn. The page does not say how the reservation is made. Giyaman-buro, an indoor bath with Nagasaki-style stained glass and a jacuzzi, 3 to 11 p.m. and 6 to 10 a.m. Day use: 800 yen for the rooftop bath, 500 yen for the indoor bath, towel included. No rooms have their own bath.
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