Chuseikan is a small onsen inn at the far end of Shima Onsen in Nakanojo, Gunma. Its tagline is “hot water and forest, on your own,” and its booking page says it is an inn mainly for single use. Before you book, three things matter: two of its baths are mixed-gender, with women-only hours from 19:00 to 21:00; online bookings are prepaid by credit card only; and every official page, including the English version of the booking site, is effectively in Japanese.
The baths at Chuseikan: mixed bathing explained
The inn’s story starts with its baths. The founder, Seiji Nakaji, had worked for years as head clerk at a Shima Onsen ryokan. He built a bath by hand at the far end of the village, using stones from the Hinatami River and maki wood cut from the hill behind. The spring water still pours in through bamboo spouts, swapped for wider ones in summer and taken off in winter to change the flow.
Which baths are mixed, and which are women-only?
Tsukimi-no-yu (an open-air bath) and Yakushi-no-yu, which connect, are mixed-gender (konyoku). Maki-no-yu is an indoor bath for women. The baths are open around the clock as a rule, with one change each evening:
| Bath | Most of the day | 19:00–21:00 |
|---|---|---|
| Tsukimi-no-yu (open-air) | Mixed | Women only |
| Yakushi-no-yu | Mixed | Women only |
| Maki-no-yu (indoor) | Women only | Men only |
| Kajika-no-yu (riverside, seasonal) | Swimsuit or bath towel allowed | Women only |
From the official onsen page and booking page, read October 20, 2026.
So a woman who prefers not to share a bath with men can use Maki-no-yu at any time except 19:00 to 21:00, and the two larger baths during those two hours. A man has the mixed baths outside that window and Maki-no-yu within it. The spring is a weakly alkaline calcium-sodium chloride-sulfate spring, 62°C at the source.
What is Kajika-no-yu?
Kajika-no-yu is an open-air bath by the river that opens only part of the year, roughly the warmer months, and not at night. It is the one bath where the inn says you may wear a swimsuit or a bath towel. The official pages give slightly different dates for its season, so ask the inn if it matters for your trip.
Can I bathe with a tattoo, or book a private bath?
The official pages mention neither a tattoo rule nor a private bath. Ask the inn before you book; our tattoo and onsen guide explains what to ask.
Chuseikan at a glance: the five rooms
All rooms are private and the whole inn is non-smoking; the smoking spot is outside the front door. Rooms are on the 2nd and 3rd floors, reached by stairs. You cannot request a room by name. None has its own bath.
| Room | Guests | Toilet | From (tax and bathing tax extra) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forest | 1 | Shared | 7,000 yen |
| Garden (garden and temple view) | 1 | Shared | 9,000 yen |
| Stream (river view) | 1 | Shared | 9,000 yen |
| Valley (river view) | 1 | In room | 10,000 yen |
| Mountain (10 mats, 3rd floor) | 1–5 | In room | 10,000 yen |
From the official room pages, read October 20, 2026. The pages do not say whether a price is per person or per room.
Forest-room guests can use a dedicated workation lounge; that room has no TV or air conditioning. Towels, yukata, a padded jacket and a toothbrush set are provided, and shampoo, conditioner and body soap are in the baths. Address: 4374 Shima, Nakanojo-machi, Agatsuma-gun, Gunma. Phone: 0279-64-2336.
Meals at Chuseikan
What are dinner and breakfast?
Meals are an option you add when you book. For dinner, choose a satoyama country kaiseki or a Gunma set meal (gozen); for breakfast, a Japanese breakfast or a toast breakfast. The inn started out serving soba to bathers who came for week-long cures, and it now cooks mainly with Gunma ingredients. Meals are served in your room as a rule. Forest-room guests eat the kaiseki in the lounge, and set meals or breakfast are handed over at the room entrance. There is no large hall, so groups of nine or more eat in two places.
Can the inn handle allergies or a special diet?
The FAQ says the inn will do what it can, but it has no allergen-free kitchen and cannot serve guests with severe allergies. Vegetarian and other diets are not mentioned. You may bring your own food, but not raw or perishable items.
Children, cancellation and payment at Chuseikan
Can I bring children?
The booking page asks families with children to book by phone or through Rakuten or Jalan. You can book on the official page, but a child then gets the same meals as an adult.
What is the cancellation policy?
The booking page shows 50 percent from 3 days before, 80 percent the day before and 100 percent on the day, of the tax-inclusive price. The early-booking plan has its own, earlier rule. The full policy sits behind a button we could not read, so open it before you pay. See our hotel cancellation guide.
How do I pay, and what is the bathing tax?
Online bookings are prepaid by credit card only; debit cards appear as a choice, but the inn asks you not to use them. Phone prices differ from the online price, and the booking page says its own online price is the lowest. A bathing tax of 150 yen per person is paid at the inn on checkout, even if you prepaid. Nakanojo exempts children under 12 from the tax; see our onsen bathing tax guide.
Getting to Chuseikan in Shima Onsen
How do I reach the inn by train and bus?
The nearest station is JR Nakanojo. The inn has no pickup from the station; take a route bus to the Shima Onsen bus stop. When you arrive there, phone the inn and it will come to collect you. It cannot arrange the pickup in advance from an arrival time you send. Parking is not mentioned on the official pages.
What are the check-in and checkout times?
Check-in opens at 15:00 and checkout is 10:00. The official pages give different latest check-in times, so if you will arrive after 18:00, tell the inn beforehand.
What foreign guests should know before staying at Chuseikan
- The website has no English pages, and the English booking site shows plan names, room details and notes in Japanese or not at all. The Japanese booking page has the full notes; a browser translation tool helps.
- Two baths are mixed-gender. Women-only time in them is 19:00 to 21:00; outside it, women have Maki-no-yu.
- Three of the five room types share a toilet, and no room has its own bath.
- Phone the inn from the Shima Onsen bus stop; the inn will not meet you at the station.
- Keep 150 yen per person for the bathing tax at checkout.
- For anything not on the site, the FAQ invites you to call or email.
Frequently asked questions
Does Chuseikan have mixed bathing?
Is Chuseikan only for solo travelers?
How do I pay at Chuseikan?
Can I bathe at Chuseikan with a tattoo?
How do I get to Chuseikan?
Bottom line (2026): Chuseikan is a quiet inn for solo travelers at the end of Shima Onsen, with hand-built baths fed through bamboo spouts. Two baths are mixed except 19:00 to 21:00, online bookings are prepaid by card, and the pages are in Japanese, so read the booking notes with a translation tool before you pay.
Sources
Every fact on this page is from Chuseikan’s official pages: home, about, rooms, meals, baths and FAQ (all Japanese), the official booking page and its notes, and the Nakanojo town bathing tax page. All were read on October 20, 2026. Prices and rules change; check the official site before you book.
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