Inamuragasaki Onsen Spa — Local services in Kamakura

Paid 1700¥, not ¥1500. Very beautiful ocean view from this onsen. I came on a hot summer day for 2 hours and there were usually about 10-15 men in the spa during that period, with lots of room. I was the only foreigner during that time. Many guests had extensive tattoos. As is traditional, it is segregated and no clothing is permitted. It was very clean and smelled nice.

On the men’s side there were two hot pools, a cold pool, about 10 showers, and a sauna. They had the large glass doors open and it was very relaxing to feel the breeze from the sea and sun on your body while you rest in the water. The water is deep red from iodine and felt really soothing.

This is the only onsen I’ve been to so not sure if it’s simply true for all, but my only gripe would be that it was really loud. The showers were constantly running, with the stools dragging on the floor. The door for one of the pools slams very loudly every time a guest enters. Also, the towel rental was over 800¥ which seemed absurd so I...

Need to know this is cash only, so grab cash at the 7-11 before arriving. An amazing place to sit in a hot bath and watch the sun set and see Mt Fuji in the background. They also allow tattoos, which is not common in onsen. I have a small tattoo which was fine but also there were people there with full sleeves and back tattoos and nobody cared.

Directions: put cash into the vending machine and select/pay for your tickets. 1a. Choose the cheaper bath towel/face towel rental. The other towel options are for purchasing a towel. 1b. You don’t need to buy soap/shampoo they have it upstairs. Put your shoes and phone in a locker. Take your locker key and tickets to the counter. They will trade you for another locker key which works upstairs. Go upstairs and get naked. Keep only your small towel. Go into the onsen area. Sit down and wash yourself thoroughly at the washing station. Enjoy the baths and sauna. Don’t let your hand towel into the water. Keep it on your head or...

The onsen facilities are modest, but still so worth a visit for the rare black water and beautiful view of the ocean. (While some onsen felt like they dried my skin out, the black water did not!)

We couldn't quite tell from what we saw online, so asked hotel staff to help us call the onsen and ask -- tattoos are allowed! There is a sign in the entrance asking anyone with tattoos to be considerate of others in case they might feel intimidated, but my partner with tattoos didn't feel that he was treated differently at all. (Note, you can see from his appearance that he is a Westerner.)

I ended up going a second time on my own. It was a 10 minute ride on the Enoden line from Kamakura station, followed by a 5 minute walk. I stopped at the little park across the street and watched the waves for a while before going in. I ended up making a friend, and we finished watching the sun set from the lobby while drinking pineapple...