Find an onsen that suits your visit

Is there a national rule? No. Each facility sets its own policy. JNTO says some onsen have no-tattoo policies and advises asking the facility before relying on a sticker or patch.

What the Japan Tourism Agency suggests: in a notice to the hotel, ryokan and onsen associations dated 16 March 2016, it asks operators to consider three options. They can ask guests to cover tattoos with a seal or similar, with nothing needed for small tattoos (“for example, palm-sized”); suggest times when fewer families bathe; or offer private baths or rooms with their own bath. The notice also says tattoos cause no hygiene problem.

We read that text in the copy the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare circulated to prefectures on 18 March 2016 and in Kumamoto Prefecture's reprint. We couldn't find the original Japan Tourism Agency web page.

Etiquette that applies everywhere: wash and rinse before entering; keep towels and hair out of the water; no phones or cameras in bathing and changing areas (Gunma and Kyoto onsen guidance).

Sources for this section: JNTO: hot springs in Japan · Japan Tourism Agency: points for bathing by foreign visitors with tattoos (reprinted by Kumamoto Prefecture) · Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare: notice circulating the Japan Tourism Agency guidance (18 March 2016) · Gunma: how to enjoy onsen · Kyoto onsen bathing guidance

Small (about palm-sized or less), in one place, and happy in a shared bath: ask for the shared bath with a cover seal. A “yes” should say “tattoos up to [size] are OK if covered”, and whether the facility sells or supplies seals.

Larger than your palm, or in several places: ask for a reservable private bath (kashikiri-buro). A “yes” should give the price, the slot length (it varies by facility), whether you book at check-in or in advance, and that tattoos are allowed there.

A full sleeve or back piece: ask for a room with its own bath (kyakushitsu-tsuki rotenburo). The reply should confirm that the room type you're booking has the bath, not just that “rooms with baths are available”.

A day trip with no overnight stay: choose a day-use facility that publishes a tattoo policy in writing on its own site; a review is not enough.

Travelling with children and want certainty: ask for a private bath or an in-room bath, with the same checks as above. Our view: for a family, the private option removes the question entirely.

Sources for this section: JNTO: hot springs in Japan · Japan Tourism Agency: points for bathing by foreign visitors with tattoos (reprinted by Kumamoto Prefecture)

The situation: a couple booking a ryokan for 12–14 February 2027. One has a 15 × 10 cm tattoo on the upper arm. The Japan Tourism Agency's example of a tattoo needing no arrangement is palm-sized, and an adult palm is roughly 8–10 cm wide, so this one is larger than that benchmark.

1. On 22 January, 21 days before arrival, email the ryokan with the Japanese text below, giving the size (15 × 10 cm) and the place (upper arm).

2. Shared bath: if the reply gives a maximum cover size, compare it with 15 × 10 cm. If the tattoo is bigger than the limit, or the reply only says “small tattoos”, treat the shared bath as unavailable.

3. Private bath: if tattoos are allowed there, note the slot length, the price and whether you book in advance or at check-in. If it's booked at check-in, ask for the first slot on arrival.

4. Fallback before you pay: if the private bath is first come, first served, ask for a room with its own open-air bath and compare the price difference before the date the cancellation fee starts.

5. Keep the email and show it at check-in if staff ask.

Sources for this section: Japan Tourism Agency: points for bathing by foreign visitors with tattoos (reprinted by Kumamoto Prefecture)

Name the exact facility and bath you intend to use. Then confirm tattoo policy, privacy arrangements, access and whether a separate reservation is needed. A room booking, an onsen-town reputation or a traveller's photograph does not settle the rules for a particular bathing area.

This guide is designed to help you choose a facility. It does not provide medical bathing advice, nor does it guarantee admission, private bath availability, or the acceptance of tattoo cover patches.

JNTO notes that tattoo policies differ and advises checking with the facility before relying on a sticker or patch. Treat the answer as specific to that facility and bathing area, not permission for every onsen in the region.

A useful question asks what you need without oversharing: whether tattoos are allowed in the intended bath, if an approved cover is required, and whether the same policy applies to reservable private baths. Keep the date and scope of the reply.

Sources for this section: JNTO: hot springs in Japan

Ask whether the option is attached to your room, booked for a time slot, or simply a bathing area with a different entry arrangement. Check who may use it, the reservation method, the duration and the conditions for extending or cancelling the booking.

Do not equate a private bath with an accessible one. Ask the facility whether the route, changing area and bath entrance have steps. Where privacy is important, verify the actual arrangement rather than inferring it from marketing photos or the word family.

Gunma's official guidance asks visitors to wash and rinse before entering the bath and to keep towels and hair out of the water. Its guidance also prohibits phones and cameras in bathing and changing areas. Read the facility's own instructions where they differ or add requirements.

Prepare what you need while still in the appropriate changing or waiting area. The calmest plan is one where you have already asked the uncertain questions, not one where another guest must explain a rule after you enter.

Sources for this section: Gunma: how to enjoy onsen

Kyoto's onsen guidance presents bathing etiquette and points visitors toward the facility-specific questions that matter. Treat local signs and staff instructions as the immediate guide, especially for photography and use of shared spaces.

Leave a phone or camera out of the bathing workflow. A beautiful scene does not create consent to photograph other people, and an apparently empty area can stop being empty. Ask staff about any permitted photographs before bringing equipment into a private space.

Sources for this section: Kyoto onsen bathing guidance

Decide in advance what you will do if the intended bath does not fit your needs: use another confirmed option, enjoy a non-bathing activity or skip the visit. A holiday does not fail because one experience is unsuitable.

Do not treat an onsen visit as a health treatment, and do not stay in the water longer just to make a booking feel worthwhile. Questions about a person's condition belong with appropriate healthcare professionals and the facility's safety guidance, not a general tourism recommendation.

Record the exact facility, bath type, planned date and the remaining question. A short task such as 'confirm tattoo policy for the reservable bath' is more useful than storing a vague preference for an onsen hotel.

Keep a quick note in your personal planner: record the exact trip or product, date, contact details, and any open questions. This note tracks your own planning, not provider approval. Recheck details if your plans change; this guide does not monitor status, book seats, or provide official confirmations.

Copy the text, fill in the brackets and send it by email or through the booking site's message box.

お世話になります。[日付]に宿泊予定の[名前]です。同行者に入れ墨（タトゥー）があります（[部位]、約[縦]×[横]cm）。 (We are staying on [date]. One of us has a tattoo on the [place], about [height] × [width] cm.)

1. 大浴場は、カバーシールで隠せば利用できますか。シールの大きさや枚数の上限はありますか。 (Can we use the large bath if the tattoo is covered with a seal? Is there a size or number limit?)

2. 貸切風呂は入れ墨があっても利用できますか。料金、時間、予約方法を教えてください。 (Can someone with tattoos use the private bath? What does it cost, how long is it, and how do we book?)

3. 露天風呂付き客室はありますか。よろしくお願いいたします。 (Do you have rooms with their own open-air bath? Thank you.)

The rules in this guide come from the official pages below. Japan, Booked. does not book or submit requests on your behalf.

• JNTO: hot springs in Japan
• Gunma: how to enjoy onsen
• Kyoto onsen bathing guidance
• Japan Tourism Agency: points for bathing by foreign visitors with tattoos (reprinted by Kumamoto Prefecture)
• Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare: notice circulating the Japan Tourism Agency guidance (18 March 2016)