Can you go to an onsen with tattoos in Japan?
Often yes, but not everywhere, and each bath sets its own rule. Many baths still turn away guests with visible tattoos, while others accept them freely or with a sticker. This guide explains the kinds of rule you will meet and how to check them. This site lists 296 baths in 45 prefectures that accept tattoos in some form, each with its source.
Updated 10 Oct 2026. We have not visited these baths ourselves; every rule comes from the facility, a city tourism listing or, where marked, a bath directory.
What the national rules say
In 2015 the Japan Tourism Agency surveyed bathing facilities about tattoos. Of the 581 that answered, 55.9% said they refused guests with tattoos, 30.6% did not, and 12.9% allowed them with conditions such as covering the tattoo with a sticker. The same report notes that neither the National Police Agency nor the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare has a policy of refusing tattooed bathers (Ryoko Shimbun report, in Japanese).
On 16 March 2016 the agency issued guidance for bath operators with three example ways to accept tattooed visitors from abroad (quoted in a House of Representatives question, in Japanese):
- Ask guests to cover the tattoo with a sticker, or to wear hygienic bathing wear. If the tattoo is small, for example palm-sized, and does not intimidate other bathers, ask for nothing special.
- Suggest times when few families are bathing.
- Offer a separate bath, a private bath, or at an inn a room with its own bath.
The government's written answer of 2 June 2016 adds that the decision is ultimately left to the manager of each facility (answer, in Japanese). That is why rules vary so much, even between baths in the same town.
The five kinds of rule on this site
- Tattoos allowed 92 baths say on their own website that guests with tattoos can use the shared bath.
- Allowed with conditions 135 baths accept tattoos if you meet a condition: a cover sticker, a size limit, set hours, a form, or bathing alone. See every condition.
- Private bath only 10 baths offer a private bath to tattooed guests; their shared bath is not confirmed.
- Listed as tattoo-OK 8 baths are tagged tattoo-OK by an official city tourism listing without further detail.
- Reported tattoo-OK 51 baths are listed as tattoo-OK by a Japanese bath directory, but their own website says nothing. Ask before you pay.
Rules change. For example, Konohana no Yu in Gotemba lifted its tattoo restriction from 1 April 2025. Each listing shows the date we last checked it and links to the official page, so check that page on the day.
Cover stickers
117 of the 135 baths with conditions ask you to cover tattoos with stickers. 75 of them say to use or buy the facility's own stickers, and many limit the size and number, such as two stickers of 8 × 10 cm. If your tattoos are larger than that, choose a bath with no restriction or a private bath. A sticker you buy elsewhere may not be accepted where the bath asks for its own.
Private baths
A private bath (kashikiri-buro), or a room with its own bath, lets you bathe without sharing. These 10 baths offer a private bath to tattooed guests:
- YUMORI ONSEN HOSTEL Tsuchiyu Onsen, Fukushima City · Private bath only
- Gensen Ichinoyu 源泉一乃湯 Kusatsu, Gunma · Private bath only
- Kusatsu Onsen Naraya 草津温泉 奈良屋 Kusatsu, Gunma · Private bath only
- Oyado Tamaki お宿 玉樹 Shibukawa, Gunma · Private bath only
- Shimoda Yamatokan 下田大和館 Shimoda, Shizuoka · Private bath only
- Marumo Ryokan 丸茂旅館 Tottori · Private bath only
- Bihada no Yu Koshikano Onsen 美肌の湯 こしかの温泉 Kirishima, Kagoshima · Private bath only
- Tarutama Onsen Takibiyori 垂玉温泉 瀧日和 Minamiaso, Kumamoto · Private bath only
- Oyado Yunooka お宿 湯の丘 Horita, Oita · Private bath only
- Yumehinoki-no-Yu Dai-Butsu Onsen ゆめひのきの湯 大仏温泉 Beppu Station, Oita · Private bath only
Some baths with other rules also offer a family or private bath, as their pages note. See tattoo-friendly ryokan and hotels.
Sento (city bathhouses)
A sento is a neighbourhood public bathhouse, which may use heated tap water rather than a natural hot spring. This site lists 87 sento and bathhouses, 35 in Tokyo, 8 in Kanagawa, 8 in Osaka. Their rules are shown the same way as for onsen.
How to ask at reception
If a bath is marked "Reported tattoo-OK", or you are unsure whether your tattoo fits a sticker limit, ask before you pay. You can show staff one of these sentences:
| Show this | Say it | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| タトゥーがありますが、入浴できますか？ | Tatū ga arimasu ga, nyūyoku dekimasu ka? | I have tattoos. Can I use the bath? |
| シールで隠せば入れますか？ | Shīru de kakuseba hairemasu ka? | Can I go in if I cover them with stickers? |
| タトゥー用のシールは売っていますか？ | Tatū-yō no shīru wa utte imasu ka? | Do you sell tattoo cover stickers? |
| 貸切風呂はありますか？ | Kashikiri-buro wa arimasu ka? | Is there a private bath? |
Every bath page also shows the bath's name in Japanese, to match signs or show a taxi driver.
Where to start
Near TokyoNear Osaka and KyotoRyokan and hotelsCover stickers
Onsen towns: HakoneKusatsuBeppuKinosaki OnsenNikko and KinugawaKaga Onsen and AwazuItoShirahama
Regions: HokkaidoTohokuKantoChubuKansaiChugokuShikokuKyushuOkinawa