Rotenyu Momiji
露天湯 椛
Does Rotenyu Momiji allow tattoos? In a private bath
Rotenyu Momiji rents ten private open-air baths in Yamaga by the hour, from a two-tier tub with a slide to a cave and a heart, and drains and refills each one for every party.
No tattoo rule is published. Every bath here is a private open-air bath rented to one party at a time and refilled with fresh source water for each, so a tattooed bather never shares a tub.
The bath
Momiji runs on Yamaga Onsen's alkaline simple spring, 50.2°C at the source, which the house calls a slick beauty bath. Every tub is run kakenagashi (spring water that flows through the tub and isn't reused) and emptied and refilled for each party, so each booking gets the first bath of fresh water.
There is no shared bath. The ten baths are all private open-air tubs, priced per bath rather than per person, and the owner has given most of them a gimmick. The Express Slide bath is a two-tier tub with a slide, 80 minutes for ¥2,900; Rainbow Slide has two slides, and Slide a round tub with one. Cave hides a lying bath inside a tunnel of rock; Kaku-iwa has a tatami washing area, bamboo walls and a pouring spout; Heart Slide is a heart-shaped tub with its own slide; Taki is a large rock bath fed by a waterfall. These run 70 minutes for ¥2,300 to ¥2,600. Iwa and Ishi are rock baths with a stone pillow for lying in the water, 60 minutes for ¥2,100, and Ishi (small) suits one to three people, 60 minutes for ¥1,600.
Bookings are by phone from a week ahead, or at the door on the day; latecomers lose bath time when the house is busy.
The hotel
A family-bath house on the eastern side of Yamaga town, open weekdays from 11 a.m. and weekends and holidays from 10 a.m., with the last entry at 11 p.m. Admission is the bath price, paid per bath, not per person. A free foot bath ringed by maples sits outside for anyone waiting. Since January 2025 the house has also let two one-party lodging units, Shironoren and Kuronoren (white curtain and black curtain), each with an indoor bath, an open-air bath with a slide, a sauna and a cold bath, booked by phone up to six months ahead.
Good to know
- Priced by the bath, not the head, from ¥1,600 for an hour in the small stone tub.
- Fresh water for every party: each tub is drained and refilled.
- Book by phone a week ahead to be sure of the tub you want; walk-ins are taken on the day.
- The foot bath is free and sits among maples by the entrance.
Getting there
From Shin-Tamana Station, the city's guide puts the Kyushu Sanko bus to Yamaga bus center at about 50 minutes. Momiji is in the Naka district on the eastern side of town, and the house publishes only its address and a map link, with no bus stop, walking time or parking details.
Shin-Tamana STN · Kyushu Shinkansen, then the Kyushu Sanko bus to Yamaga bus center
The house publishes no walking time.
Phone bookings open a week ahead; walk-ins taken on the day.
Where it is
Yamaga Onsen bus stop
- Kyushu Shinkansen 40 min
- Sanko bus 50 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 Yamaga is one stop in a longer Kyushu trip by train.
- Kyushu SunQ Pass Worth it if you’d rather ride buses. It covers the Sanko buses from Shin-Tamana and Kumamoto to Yamaga 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
There's no shared bath here, so every bath you use is private. Reserve one by phone.
How we know
Bath layout confirmed, tattoo policy not published Checked on the official site: (the home page lists the ten private open-air baths with minutes and prices and says the water is changed for every party)
Read on: yamagarotenyu-momiji.com/
Best for: families with children who want an hour alone in an open-air tub with a slide, a cave or a waterfall
Ten private open-air baths, priced per bath with no charge per head: the two-tier Express Slide bath, 80 minutes for ¥2,900; Rainbow Slide (two slides), Cave (a lying bath inside), Kaku-iwa (tatami washing area, bamboo walls, a pouring spout), Heart Slide and Taki (a large rock bath fed by a waterfall), 70 minutes for ¥2,600; Slide (a round tub), 70 minutes for ¥2,300; Iwa and Ishi, rock baths with a stone pillow, 60 minutes for ¥2,100; Ishi (small) for one to three people, 60 minutes for ¥1,600. Spring: alkaline simple, 50.2°C at the source, run kakenagashi and changed for every party. Weekdays 11 a.m. to last entry at 11 p.m., weekends and holidays from 10 a.m. Walk-ins on the day, or phone bookings from a week ahead; late arrivals lose bath time when busy. Free foot bath. Since January 2025 the house also lets two one-party lodging units, Shironoren and Kuronoren, each with an indoor bath, an open-air bath with a slide, a sauna and a cold bath.
The map shows every hotel close by. We haven’t checked their tattoo rules: sleep there, bathe here. Search Booking.com instead
Booking through this link costs you nothing extra and earns us a small commission, which keeps this guide free and up to date for our tattoo community. Thanks for your support.
For current hours and prices, see the official website.