Official policies · sourced · dated

Can you use this onsen with tattoos?

It depends on the facility — each one sets its own rule. Of the 101 onsen and bathhouses we checked on their own official websites, 20 allow tattoos, 30 allow them under conditions such as cover stickers or private-bath-only use, 18 do not, and 33 say nothing. Latest check: 9 Oct 2026.

See all 101 facilities How the rules work

Tattoo-friendly onsen by area

Tokyo15 facilitiesLarge “super sento” spa complexes, neighbourhood sento bathhouses and city hotels with baths.Allowed: 3With conditions: 5Not allowed: 5Not stated: 2 Hakone9 facilitiesA hot-spring resort area west of Tokyo with day-use baths and many ryokan with private baths.Allowed: 1With conditions: 4Not allowed: 2Not stated: 2 Kyoto7 facilitiesHistoric sento in the city, plus hot-spring baths in Arashiyama, Ohara and Kurama.Allowed: 1With conditions: 1Not allowed: 2Not stated: 3 Osaka7 facilitiesBig spa complexes such as Spa World, bay-area onsen and city sento.Allowed: 2With conditions: 3Not allowed: 2 Beppu6 facilitiesA hot-spring city in Oita with municipal public baths, sand baths and resort hotels.With conditions: 1Not allowed: 1Not stated: 4 Kinosaki12 facilitiesA canal-side hot-spring town in northern Hyogo, known for its seven public baths (soto-yu) and yukata strolls.Allowed: 10Not stated: 2 Kusatsu12 facilitiesA mountain hot-spring town in Gunma built around the Yubatake, with town-run day baths and many ryokan.Allowed: 3With conditions: 4Not allowed: 2Not stated: 3 Ginzan6 facilitiesA small hot-spring street of wooden ryokan along a river in Obanazawa, Yamagata.Not allowed: 1Not stated: 5 Noboribetsu9 facilitiesA hot-spring town in Hokkaido next to Jigokudani (Hell Valley), with large hotels and a public bath.Not allowed: 1Not stated: 8 Nikko & Kinugawa8 facilitiesLarge riverside onsen hotels in Kinugawa, plus Nikko’s city-run day bath and lakeside hotels.With conditions: 5Not stated: 3 Atami10 facilitiesA seaside hot-spring resort in Shizuoka with large resort hotels and day-use spas.With conditions: 7Not allowed: 2Not stated: 1 Private onsen50 facilitiesKashikiri and in-room baths. Tattoos are officially OK in 8 of them.

What the policy labels mean

Every label comes from the facility’s own website, FAQ or rules page — never from blogs, reviews or booking sites. Labels use both colour and text.

Tattoos allowed
The official site says guests with tattoos may use the baths, with no cover-up required.
Allowed with conditions
Allowed only under stated conditions — for example covering small tattoos with stickers, or using a private bath only.
Not allowed
The official site says guests with tattoos may not use the shared baths (a private bath may still be offered — see conditions).
Not stated on official site
We could not find any tattoo rule on the official site. This does not mean tattoos are allowed — ask the facility.

How fresh is this?

Latest check: 9 Oct 2026. Every policy is re-checked on the official site at least every three months, and each row links to the exact page it came from. Rules do change, so look at the official page before you go. How we check

Guides

Tattoo-friendly onsen: the full tableAll 101 facilities, filterable by area, policy and type.Read Can you go to an onsen with tattoos?Why the rules exist, what the policy categories mean, cover stickers and private baths.Read Private onsen (kashikiri) and in-room baths50 facilities with an officially listed private bath, and whether tattoos are OK in it.Read Onsen etiquetteWashing first, towels, hair and the other basics, from official tourism sources.Read