Shiroyama Hotel Kagoshima stands on the hill above the city, 108 meters up, and its selling point is an open-air onsen that looks straight across the bay at Sakurajima. It is also a hotel whose rules exist only in Japanese: the “English” link on the official site opens a machine translation, and the FAQ is a chat widget. This page reads the hotel’s own terms of stay, facility rules and onsen page and sets out what they say: tattoos are refused at the bath, children 7 and over cannot use the opposite sex’s bath, the onsen closes 11:00 to 13:00, and cancellation starts the day before.
If you are still working out where Kagoshima is relative to Sakurajima and the station, our Kagoshima map puts the pieces in one place.
Shiroyama Hotel Kagoshima at a glance
| Item | Official rule |
|---|---|
| Room hours | 15:00 to 11:00 the next morning. |
| Staying late | Up to 3 hours: 30% of the room rate. Up to 6: 50%. Longer: 100%. |
| Cancellation (up to 14 people) | Day before 20%, same day 80%, no-show 100%. |
| Onsen | Satsuma-no-Yu, 3F. Closed 11:00–13:00 daily. |
| Tattoos | Refused at the onsen. |
| Mixed bathing | Children 7 and over may not use the opposite sex’s bath. |
| Bathing tax | 150 yen per person per day, age 16+, guests included. |
| Breakfast buffet | Adults 4,800 yen, 3–6 years 700 yen, under 3 free. |
| Parking | 1,300 yen first night, 500 yen each night after. 780 spaces. |
| Pets | Not allowed in the hotel. Service dogs accepted. |
The Shiroyama onsen: tattoos, ages and the midday closure
The bath is called Satsuma-no-Yu and it is on the third floor. The water comes from 1,000 meters down, it is a bicarbonate spring at 54.2 degrees, and each side has an indoor bath, an open-air bath facing Sakurajima and a low-temperature steam sauna at 42 to 44 degrees. Towels, shampoo, conditioner, body soap and hair dryers are provided, and there are key lockers. Guests take a dedicated elevator from the fifth floor and may come in the room wear.
Tattoos are refused, and the hotel says it twice
The onsen page carries two separate lines: guests with tattoos, and people who are drunk, are firmly refused, and guests with tattoo-type designs are firmly refused too. The facility rules say the same. What the hotel does not say is that a cover patch makes a difference. We found no such exception anywhere on the site, so do not count on one. Our tattoo and onsen guide explains the difference between hotels that allow covering and hotels that do not.
Children 7 and over bathe with their own sex
Under a Kagoshima City ordinance, the hotel does not allow children aged 7 and over into the bath of the opposite sex, and the rules add that this is judged by physical characteristics. For a parent traveling alone with a child of the other sex, the practical options are the paid private bath or taking turns. Our guide to Japan’s onsen law covers the legal side of Japanese hot springs.
The bath closes in the middle of the day
For hotel guests the onsen runs in two blocks. From April to September it is 5:30 to 11:00 (last entry 10:30) and 13:00 to 24:00 (last entry 23:30). From October to March the morning block starts at 6:00. Between 11:00 and 13:00 it is closed every day, which catches people who check out at 11 and want a last soak.
What you cannot wear in the water
No swimsuits and no towels in the bath. The hotel does lend special bathing wear free at the onsen reception for guests who have had surgery and want to cover a scar, which is a thoughtful rule that is easy to miss.
Day bathing and the private bath at Shiroyama
Can you bathe here without staying?
Yes. Day bathing is open all year from 13:00 to 21:00. Adults pay 3,500 yen including the bathing tax, junior-high students 3,350 yen, elementary-school children 1,750 yen and preschool children 800 yen. Children aged 3 and under are free. Members of the hotel’s free SHIROYAMA MEMBERS CLUB pay half, though not on the day they join.
The private bath has no view
The private family bath is booked in 50-minute slots. For hotel guests it costs 2,970 yen on weekdays and 3,300 yen on weekends and holidays; for day visitors 4,950 yen and 5,500 yen, with the bathing tax on top. The hotel says plainly that it has no view. You are paying for privacy, not Sakurajima.
Cancellation, late checkout and the 8 p.m. rule at Shiroyama Hotel
Cancellation starts the day before
For up to 14 people, the terms of stay charge 20 percent of the basic room rate the day before, 80 percent on the day and 100 percent for a no-show. There is no charge for canceling two days or more ahead. Groups of 15 or more are charged from 60 days out. A plan with its own cancellation terms takes priority over this table, so a non-refundable web rate stays non-refundable.
What counts as a no-show
If you have not arrived by 8 p.m. on the day and have not called, or two hours after the arrival time you gave, the hotel may treat the booking as canceled by you. A late flight into Kagoshima is exactly the case where a phone call saves the room.
What late checkout costs
The room is yours from 15:00 to 11:00. Staying longer is charged as a share of the room rate: 30 percent for up to three extra hours, 50 percent for up to six, and a full night beyond that. The hotel mentions a noon checkout inside some celebration plans, but that is a plan benefit, not the rule.
Deposits and paying at the end
Payment is normally taken at the front desk when you leave. The rules ask for a deposit from walk-in and same-day bookings, and for the full amount at check-in on stays of 100,000 yen or more, or three nights or more. Foreign guests without an address in Japan register their nationality and passport number, as at every Japanese hotel.
Children at Shiroyama Hotel Kagoshima
What we could not confirm
The hotel’s pages do not state the age at which a child can share your bed free, or a child room rate. The booking engine shows plan details only in a script we could not read. Rather than guess, ask at booking; our table of free-child ages across Japanese hotels shows how much this varies from one chain to the next.
Breakfast prices by age
Breakfast is published by age: 4,800 yen for adults, 1,700 yen for elementary-school children, 700 yen for ages 3 to 6, and free under 3, tax included. The buffet marks 14 allergens with pictograms at each dish.
What the hotel lends families
A bed guard (request it when you book), an A-type stroller and a diaper bin are available. Many of the hotel’s restaurants have a children’s menu, and the grounds cover 83,000 square meters with walking trails, which is useful with children who need to run before dinner.
Breakfast and dining at the hotel
You pick a breakfast time at check-in
The buffet runs 6:30 to 10:30, last entry 10:00, with a 60-minute limit. Hotel guests are seated in seven sittings and choose theirs at the front desk on arrival. Non-guests can eat here on weekdays only, without reservations. The hotel says the spread runs to about 80 dishes and cites a Tripadvisor ranking for the best hotel breakfast in Kyushu five years running.
The set breakfast upstairs
The alternative is Shiroyama Irodori-bako, a boxed breakfast at The Lounge Casablanca on the fourth floor, from 7:00 to 10:00 for 5,900 yen. Guests on a buffet plan can switch for 1,100 yen more. It must be booked by 18:00 the day before.
Dinner and room service
There are 12 restaurants and bars on site, including Japanese, sushi, tempura, teppanyaki, Cantonese, French and Italian. The two kappo restaurants with private rooms need booking two days ahead. Room service runs from 18:00 to 21:30. Bringing in food or drink from outside, or having it delivered, is not allowed without permission.
Getting to Shiroyama Hotel from Kagoshima-Chuo and the airport
The free shuttle is the way in
The hotel runs a free shuttle that loops between the hotel, Kagoshima-Chuo Station and Tenmonkan. It leaves from stop 3 on the first floor of the Kagoshima-Chuo terminal building, about five minutes’ walk from the station gates, and the ride takes about 25 minutes. The timetable runs every 30 minutes from 6:30, with the last loop starting at 22:00. The Tenmonkan tram stop is drop-off only. The hotel warns the bus can be full or late, and it posts live status on LINE.
From Kagoshima airport
Take the airport limousine bus to the Kagoshima-Chuo terminal building, about 40 minutes, then the hotel shuttle, for about 70 minutes in all. By car, the hotel’s own pages quote the airport as 45, 50 or 60 minutes depending on the page; from the station it is about 10 minutes by car.
Parking
There are 780 spaces and no reservation is needed. Overnight guests pay 1,300 yen for the first night and 500 yen for each night after. Visitors who are not staying get four hours free, then 200 yen an hour, with four more free hours for every 8,000 yen spent in the hotel. There are EV chargers, and a free shuttle runs between the east lot and the entrance.
Rules foreign guests are surprised by at the Kagoshima hotel
No pets, but the hotel arranges boarding
Pets cannot stay. The hotel arranges boarding at Ikeda Animal Hospital, about three minutes away by car, which brings the pet back to the front entrance when you check out. Service dogs are accepted.
The banquet door locks at midnight
There is no curfew at the fourth-floor main entrance, but the first-floor banquet entrance is locked from midnight to 5 a.m. If a taxi drops you at the lower door late at night, walk round to the front.
Languages and loans
The concierge desk works in English, Korean, Simplified and Traditional Chinese and Spanish, and has a speech translation tablet. Vegetarian and allergy meals are available on request. The hotel lends a Dyson hair dryer, a hair iron, voltage transformers and plug adapters, board games and phone chargers. All rooms are non-smoking, and incense and drones are banned.
(For a sand-bath stay at the southern tip of Kagoshima: our Ibusuki Hakusuikan guide notes that sand bathing costs 1,540 yen for adults, and that booking on the official website brings one free ticket per adult per night.)
Frequently asked questions
Can you use the onsen at Shiroyama Hotel Kagoshima with a tattoo?
What time is check-in and check-out?
What is the cancellation policy?
Can children use the bath with a parent of the other sex?
Can I use the onsen without staying at the hotel?
How much is breakfast, and do I need to book a time?
How do I get to Shiroyama Hotel from Kagoshima-Chuo Station or the airport?
Is there an extra tax on top of the room rate?
Bottom line (2026): Shiroyama Hotel Kagoshima is a hilltop hotel with an onsen facing Sakurajima, and the onsen rules are the part to read first: tattoos are refused, children 7 and over bathe with their own sex, and the bath closes 11:00 to 13:00. Cancellation is 20 percent the day before and 80 percent on the day, and a 150 yen bathing tax is added for guests 16 and over. A free shuttle runs from Kagoshima-Chuo in about 25 minutes.
Sources
Every rule and figure on this page is from Shiroyama Hotel Kagoshima’s own site: the terms of stay, the facility rules, the onsen page, the breakfast page and the access page, all read on September 24, 2026. The hotel publishes them in Japanese; the English here is ours. Prices and hours change, and a plan’s own terms override the general rules, so confirm on the official site before you book.
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