Ginsho, Ibusuki (2026): Sky Baths, Meals, Fees

Ginsho (in Japanese, Fufu Rotenburo no Yado Ginsho) is an onsen inn facing the sea in Ibusuki, Kagoshima, built around trips for couples. Its company opened it under the name Ginsho in 1981, and ten new rooms opened on September 10, 2025. Before you book, three things matter: new bookings for October and November 2026 are room only; the private open-air baths are for junior high school age and up and cost 4,000 yen; and there is no shuttle from Ibusuki Station.

Ginsho (Ginsyou) in Ibusuki at a glance

From the official site and booking page, read October 14, 2026.

The whole inn is non-smoking, and Wi-Fi works throughout except in some areas. On arrival, the okami (the hostess) whisks matcha for each guest, served with a sweet. In the evening the garden is lit from 20:00 to 21:30, and a beach café opens from 7:30 to 10:00 in the morning, except in rain.

Booking Ginsho in October and November 2026

In a notice dated October 10, 2026, the inn says that for every date in October and November, new bookings for plans with meals are paused and new bookings are room-only plans for now. Check the booking page for your dates before you plan dinner around the inn. Room-only guests should know that the inn says there are few places to eat nearby, and suggests eating on the way or near Ibusuki Station before check-in. The inn is also closed on December 14–15 and January 26–28.

The Ibusuki onsen baths at Ginsho

From the official baths page, read October 14, 2026.

How do the private open-air baths work?

There are three, named Sky, Star and Sea. You book them after check-in, first come, first served, with the last booking at 20:00. Each slot is 50 minutes for 4,000 yen per room, tax included, for up to three people. They are for junior high school age and up; younger children cannot use them. There is no separate family bath.

Do the rooms have their own baths?

Many do. Rooms with an open-air bath get hot-spring water from 6:00 to midnight. Some new rooms have an open-air bath and a shower but no indoor bath, and the new Western room has a shower room only, so check the room page before you book. The inn says its spring water is high in metasilicic acid, which is why it is called a “beauty bath.”

Can I bathe with a tattoo?

The official pages do not mention tattoos. Ask the inn before you book. Our tattoo and onsen guide explains what to ask.

Is there a sand bath?

Not inside the inn. Ibusuki is known for its sand baths, and the inn sits next door to the Saraku sand bath hall on the beach. Non-staying visitors can use the 9th-floor and 2nd-floor baths from 18:00 to 20:00, booked on the day.

Rooms at Ginsho

Which rooms are new?

Four new room types opened in September 2025. The largest, Shionone, is 94 square meters for up to five, with an open-air bath; Sunanone is 67 square meters for five; Migiwanone is 51 square meters for three, with a semi-open-air bath; and Matsunone is a 41-square-meter twin with a shower room only. The new rooms have toilets with a bidet function.

Which rooms suit couples, families or wheelchair users?

The couples’ detached building is for two guests only, with no children, and has steps at the entrance. Families can look at the Japanese rooms with an open-air bath for two to five, or a first-floor room with an open-air bath and a private pool for four. One semi-barrier-free room sleeps seven, has a nursing-care bed and can be entered in a wheelchair.

Meals at Ginsho

What are dinner and breakfast like?

There is no in-room dining and no restaurant; meals are served in dining areas built mostly like private rooms, at an “onsen table” with hot spring water rising from the center, where you can warm bamboo sake or cook an onsen egg. Every dinner includes satsuma-age fish cakes fried in front of you, two per person. Breakfast is a Japanese set with satsuma-jiru, a local soup of chicken and vegetables. Dinner starts between 17:30 and 19:30, and breakfast between 7:30 and 8:30.

Can the inn handle allergies or a special diet?

Only within limits. The inn handles the 28 listed allergens if you tell it at least 3 days before your stay, but it cannot remove wheat, seasonings with miso, or bonito and kelp stock, and it may decline guests with severe allergies. The booking page says it cannot adjust meals for food dislikes or for religious reasons.

Prices, children and payment at Ginsho

How much does a stay cost?

Per person, two to a room, tax included, the Japanese booking page starts at 15,400 yen room only. Plans with dinner and breakfast include a couples’ plan from 25,300 yen, a plan featuring three Kagoshima brands from 27,500 yen, and a Premium Stay from 50,600 yen. Booking on the official site adds a 500-yen coupon for the shop. Ibusuki’s ordinance sets a bathing tax of 150 yen per night when the room rate is 6,001 yen or more, with under-12s exempt; the inn’s pages do not say whether it is included. See our onsen bathing tax guide.

What do children cost?

The booking page has meal options for elementary school children (a reduced adult meal or a kids’ meal) and for ages 3 to preschool (a kids’ meal or no meal), but the official pages do not give child prices. Check the price for your dates on the booking page.

What is the cancellation policy?

It depends on the plan. The Premium Stay charges 20 percent from 7 to 3 days before, 30 percent 2 days before, 50 percent the day before, and 100 percent on the day or for a no-show. The early-booking plan on the Japanese page charges 100 percent from 14 days before. Other plans show their rule after you pick a date. See our hotel cancellation guide.

How do I pay?

The FAQ lists Visa, Mastercard, JCB, American Express, UnionPay, Diners Club and Discover.

Getting to Ginsho in Ibusuki

The sightseeing limited express Ibusuki no Tamatebako runs from Kagoshima-Chuo Station to Ibusuki Station in about an hour; see our Kagoshima map for the city end. There is no shuttle; the inn recommends a taxi from Ibusuki Station, a short ride, or it is about 1.8 km on foot. Parking is free, next to the entrance and across the road, and staff park your car in a third lot if those are full. For car navigation, enter 0993-22-3231; the inn warns that the reservation center’s number leads to the wrong place.

What foreign guests should know before staying at Ginsho

• The official website is in Japanese. English booking is on the English booking page; the Japanese booking page lists more plans, including room-only ones.
• The reservation center answers from 10:00 to 18:00 and is closed on Thursdays and Sundays. Email is ginsyouyoyaku@ginsyou.co.jp.
• Book the private open-air baths soon after check-in; they go first come, first served.
• If you book room only, eat before you arrive; the inn says there are few places nearby.
• The couples’ building and the private baths are not for younger children.

Frequently asked questions

Sources

Every fact on this page is from Ginsho’s official pages: home (Japanese), about, rooms, baths, meals, FAQ and contact, the October and November booking notice, the Japanese booking page and the English booking page, plus the operating company’s site and the Ibusuki city tax ordinance. All were read on October 14, 2026. Prices and rules change; check the official site before you book.

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