Seiunso
青雲荘
Does Seiunso allow tattoos? In a private bath
Seiunso draws 440 tons a day of the Kojigoku's white water and rents a private bath by the 50 minutes to overnight guests and walk-in day bathers alike.
Seiunso publishes no tattoo rule for its large bath and open-air bath. It rents a private bath at ¥2,500 a room for 50 minutes, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., which staying guests can reserve in advance; day visitors ask at the desk on the day, until 5 p.m. None of the rooms has its own bath.
The bath
Seiunso's water is a simple sulfur spring of the hydrogen sulfide type, weakly acid at pH 4.3 and 51.1 degrees, from the Kojigoku source at the inn's feet; 440 tons a day come up, so the inn says the tubs are always fresh, white and cloudy. It lists neuralgia, sprains, chronic women's complaints, joint pain, cold sensitivity, diabetes, frozen shoulder, fatigue, chronic skin complaints, muscle pain, piles, cuts and motor paralysis. The open-air bath is open 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. and the large bath 11 a.m. through to 8:30 the next morning. Day bathers are welcome 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at ¥880 for adults, ¥440 for children of primary age and under, free under three, with towels ¥200 each.
The private bath is what matters here. It costs ¥2,500 a room for 50 minutes. Staying guests can reserve it ahead, between 11 a.m. and 10 p.m.; day visitors cannot book but can ask at the desk on the day, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., with the last slot at 5 p.m. The inn's photo shows an indoor room with a rectangular tub faced in dark tile, full of pale milky water, a window onto greenery, a handrail and a shower on a wood-grain wall. The inn does not say how many private baths there are.
Five minutes up the hill is the Kojigoku Onsenkan, the old communal bath Seiunso also runs, and guests of the inn get it at half price.
The hotel
A 63-room hotel-style inn run by Nagasaki Bus Hotels, with five room types from a 24-square-meter standard twin to 39-square-meter premium and special twins and two sizes of tatami room; every room is without a bath. Dinner is kaiseki (a multi-course Japanese meal), sat at 6 or 7 p.m. with last orders at 8, so the inn asks guests to check in by 7; breakfast at 7, 8 or 9 a.m. Samue, towels and toothbrushes are in the rooms, Wi-Fi is free throughout, and the car park takes 200 cars free. Four wheelchairs can be borrowed. Check-in 3 p.m., check-out 10 a.m.
Good to know
- Day visitors get the private bath too, walk-in at the desk, last slot 5 p.m.
- Guests may reserve the private bath in advance; day bathers may not.
- Half-price tickets for the Kojigoku Onsenkan five minutes up the hill.
- Free pickup anywhere near the Unzen hot-spring town, by arrangement with the inn.
Getting there
From Isahaya Station take the Shimatetsu bus on the Obama, Unzen and Isahaya line, about 86 minutes to the Unzen stop and on to Kojigoku-iriguchi, the stop for the inn; the inn gives no minutes and no walking time. From Nagasaki Station the inn recommends the Kenei express bus on the Nagasaki to Obama and Unzen line. From Hakata, the Relay Kamome and the Nishi-Kyushu Shinkansen reach Isahaya in about 80 minutes. The inn runs a free pickup around the Unzen hot-spring town.
Isahaya STN · JR Nagasaki Main Line and Nishi-Kyushu Shinkansen (Kamome), then the Shimatetsu bus
Not walkable.
Shimatetsu bus to the Kojigoku-iriguchi stop, about 90 minutes; free pickup around Unzen by arrangement.
Where it is
Unzen bus stop
- JR limited express 57 min
- Nishi-Kyushu Shinkansen 20 min
- Shimatetsu bus 1 hr 26 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 at the front desk.
How we know
Bath layout confirmed, tattoo policy not published Checked on the official site (the hot spring and day-use pages give the private bath's fee, minutes, hours and booking terms; the FAQ says every room is without a bath)
Best for: a day visitor who wants a locked door on the Kojigoku's milky water without staying the night
Private bath: ¥2,500 a room, 50 minutes, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. for guests with advance booking; day visitors 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., last slot 5 p.m., walk-in only. The number of private baths is not published. Day use of the shared baths 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., ¥880 adults, ¥440 children, under three free; towels ¥200 each. Open-air bath 7 a.m. to 9 p.m., large bath 11 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. All 63 rooms are without a bath. Seiunso also runs the Kojigoku Onsenkan bathhouse five minutes up the hill and gives its guests half-price tickets. Run by Nagasaki Bus Hotels.
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