Onsen in Japan: A First-Timer's Guide

An onsen (温泉, おんせん) is one of the most memorable things to do in Japan, and one of the most intimidating the first time: you bathe without clothes, there may be a tattoo rule, and the same word covers everything from a village bathhouse to a ryokan's private bath. This is the wider first-timer's guide. It explains what an onsen is and how it differs from a sentō (銭湯, せんとう), what to expect about nudity and towels, how tattoo policies really work, how private baths and ryokan baths are booked, what to ask if you need step-free access or have a health condition, and how to choose the experience that suits you. Checked on 24 October 2026.

The short version

• An onsen is a bath filled with natural hot spring water, and in Japan the word has a legal definition. Not every Japanese bath is an onsen.
• Rules are set by each venue, not by one national rulebook. Tattoos, towels, day visitors, opening hours and private baths all differ, so check the venue's own page or ask before you go.
• Nearly all baths are separated by sex and you bathe without clothes. A private bath, a room with its own bath or a foot bath is the usual alternative if that does not suit you.
• If you have a tattoo, ask first. Do not assume that a cover sticker will be accepted. Tattoo-friendly venues, private baths and rooms with their own bath exist.
• At a ryokan, fit your baths around the fixed dinner time, and ask whether the private or in-room bath really uses hot spring water.
• Before you commit, check access, health and extras: steps and handrails, heat, alcohol, and small costs such as a bathing tax or towel rental.

What an onsen is

Under Japan's Hot Springs Act (温泉法, おんせんほう, onsen-hō), as the Ministry of the Environment's page on the definition of onsen sets out, an onsen is hot water, mineral water, steam or other gas that wells up from the ground and meets a standard: a temperature of 25°C or more where it is collected at the source or, for cooler springs, specified amounts of certain substances (the Japan Onsen Association summarises the list). So the word means natural spring water, not just a hot bath. The Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) counts over 27,000 onsen sources in Japan, which is why onsen towns are found in so many regions.

In writing, 温泉 combines 温 (warm) and 泉 (spring). On bath curtains and signs you will often see 湯 (ゆ, yu), the everyday word for hot water and a bath.

Onsen, sentō or a hotel bath?

• Onsen (温泉): natural spring water as defined by law. You find onsen in resort towns, at ryokan and hotels, and in public bathhouses in onsen towns.
• Sentō (銭湯, せんとう, sentō): a neighbourhood public bathhouse. The water is not necessarily from a spring; our bath guide cites the Tokyo Metropolitan Government for the point that sentō can fill their baths from the public water supply. Sentō are everyday places, usually quick and affordable.
• Hotel or ryokan large bath (大浴場, だいよくじょう, daiyokujō): a big shared bath. It is not automatically an onsen, so look for the notice in the changing room. The Ministry of the Environment's safety leaflet says notices about the spring's quality, constituents and cautions are displayed in places such as changing rooms.

The etiquette in one minute

• Wash first, seated at a washing station, and rinse off all the soap before you get in. JNTO adds that you should rinse the stool and basin afterwards for the next person.
• Do not put your head under the water, and tie up long hair.
• Keep your small towel out of the bath: on the edge, or folded on your head.
• Enter slowly and quietly. As JNTO puts it, an onsen is not a swimming pool.
• Follow the venue's notices and staff when they differ from this summary.

The full step-by-step routine, sentō etiquette and hotel baths are in our guide to how to use a Japanese bath: onsen, sentō and hotel baths. This post does not repeat it.

Nudity and swimwear

JNTO says full nudity is mandatory at almost all hot springs, and that these are separated by sex. Mixed-gender baths are rare, and where one exists you may wear a swimsuit or a body covering if one is provided. JNTO mentions Nyūtō Onsen in Akita Prefecture as a place where many ryokan have mixed-gender pools. Do not bring swimwear to an ordinary bath on the assumption that it will be fine: the English manners page of Dōgo Onsen (Matsuyama, Ehime Prefecture), for example, asks bathers not to bathe in swimsuits or with towels on. JNTO adds that using the small washcloth to cover yourself is optional.

• Book a private bath (貸切風呂, かしきりぶろ) or a room with its own bath, and you bathe without strangers. JNTO's page on Kurokawa and Kuju says more than half of the onsen it covers offer private baths for visitors who do not want to bathe naked in front of strangers.
• Try a foot bath (足湯, あしゆ, ashiyu) first. You sit with your feet in the hot water and keep your clothes on. Foot baths are found in many onsen towns, and some are free; check the sign.
• Ask the venue when the bath is usually quietest. Fewer people can make a first visit easier.
• If the sex-separated layout does not suit you, for example because of your gender identity, a medical device or a scar you would rather not show, ask the venue what it can offer: a private bath, a room with its own bath or a quieter time. We found no official guidance for these situations, so this is general advice.

Towels, hair and what to bring

JNTO says the only thing you take into the bathing area is a small towel or washcloth, kept out of the water, either on the edge of the bath or folded on your head. The Ministry of the Environment's safety leaflet gives the same rule: do not put towels in the bathtub. JNTO also says long-haired guests can wrap their hair in a towel, and that some facilities provide hair caps or bands, but it advises bringing your own.

• A small towel for the bathing area, and a larger one for drying afterwards. Many ryokan and hotels provide both; public baths and day-use venues often sell or rent towels. Check the venue's page before you go.
• A hair tie or band.
• Coins and small notes for lockers, vending machines and extras. Some small venues take cash only.
• Soap and shampoo. Many venues provide them, but not all, so check or bring small amounts.
• Water to drink afterwards, and a bag for the damp towel.

Cash is still useful at small baths and for lockers; our guide to how much cash to bring to Japan explains when.

Rules are set by each venue

Japan has no single rulebook that every bath follows. The Hot Springs Act defines what an onsen is, but towels, swimwear, tattoos, opening hours, day visitors and private baths are for the venue to decide, and you will find them on a notice at the entrance, on the venue's website or from staff. Even the government's tattoo guidance (below) leaves the response to each facility. Dōgo Onsen shows how specific the rules can be: its English site lists three bathhouses, asks bathers to wash before getting in, to keep towels out of the tub, not to take photographs in changing or bathing rooms and not to bathe after drinking alcohol, and says nothing about tattoos. Checked on 24 October 2026.

Tattoos

JNTO's onsen etiquette guide says the vast majority of baths still do not allow tattooed guests, which it puts down to a lingering negative perception of tattoos in Japanese culture. A JNTO article dated 20 June 2024 says that for public onsen the reality is very case-by-case. That is the honest summary: there is no single answer, and it depends on the venue and sometimes on the size and visibility of the tattoo.

There is an official position, but it is guidance, not a law that forces any venue to admit anyone. The Japan Tourism Agency (観光庁, かんこうちょう) sent hotel, inn and onsen associations a notice dated 16 March 2016, titled 入れ墨（タトゥー）がある外国人旅行者の入浴に関する対応について (on bathing by foreign visitors with tattoos), saying that refusing a bath solely because a person has a tattoo is not appropriate (入れ墨をしていることのみをもって、入浴を拒否することは適切ではございません). It offered examples of how a venue might respond: ask the guest to cover the tattoo with a sticker or wear a bathing garment, ask for nothing special if the tattoo is small (for example palm-sized) and not intimidating, suggest hours when fewer families with children are bathing, or guide the guest to a private bath or a room with its own bath. The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare passed the notice to prefectures and cities on 18 March 2016. The notice asks each facility to consider its own way of responding, which is why you can still be refused. It is more than ten years old, and the JNTO guidance above shows that practice still varies from one venue to the next.

If you have a tattoo: your options

• Ask first. JNTO advises emailing the facility directly and asking what its rules are before you go, and says some may simply ask you to avoid peak times.
• Use tattoo-friendly lists as a starting point, then confirm. JNTO publishes a list of tattoo-friendly onsen. When we opened it, it said all seven public baths in Kinosaki Onsen (Hyōgo Prefecture) are tattoo-friendly but that each ryokan there has its own rules, and it listed Dōgo Onsen (Ehime Prefecture) among others. The same page described only the ground-floor bath of Dōgo's main bathhouse as open during repairs, while Dōgo's own site says the whole building reopened on 11 July 2024, so lists go stale. We could not find a tattoo policy on Dōgo's manners page, and the Visit Kinosaki site showed a maintenance notice when we tried it, so we could not confirm either policy with the venue itself.
• Treat cover stickers as an option, not a right. JNTO describes them as adhesive strips of skin-coloured plastic that can conceal a small to medium tattoo for the length of your bath; some onsen sell them, and they can be bought online or at the Don Quijote chain of stores. JNTO's list also warns that some places do not allow tattoos even when they are covered, so ask whether a sticker is accepted instead of assuming it.
• Book a private bath or a room with its own bath. JNTO recommends private kashikiri baths as a way to have the whole bath to yourself, and says some accommodation has a completely private en-suite onsen included in the room price.
• Consider a sentō. JNTO's list says tattoos are typically accepted in public bathhouses, though it is always a good idea to double-check.
• If you are refused, accept it politely and ask whether the venue has a private bath or a quieter time. A refusal is the venue's policy, not a comment on you.

Private baths: kashikiri-buro and kazoku-buro

A private bath is the easiest first onsen for many people: no strangers, no nudity worries and usually no tattoo question. The words you will see are 貸切風呂 (かしきりぶろ, kashikiri-buro), a bath that you reserve for your own party, and 家族風呂 (かぞくぶろ, kazoku-buro), literally 'family bath'. They overlap, and venues use them in different ways, so read the venue's own explanation.

• How long and how much. JNTO says some ryokan offer private bath rentals, usually in slots of 45 to 60 minutes, and that private baths usually cost extra and need advance booking. We found no official price, so we quote none; the fee is set by the venue.
• Who can use it. JNTO says a private bath can be shared by a small group (within reason). Because it is private, family members or friends of different sexes can usually bathe together, but check the maximum number of people and any age limits.
• How to book. Some venues take reservations in advance by email or online, others let you book a slot at the front desk or at check-in, and popular slots can fill up. Ask which applies, including whether non-guests can book.
• Rooms with their own bath. Some rooms come with a private bath (露天風呂付き客室, ろてんぶろつききゃくしつ, roten-buro-tsuki kyakushitsu, a guest room with an open-air bath). JNTO says some accommodation includes one in the room price.
• Check the water. A private or in-room bath is not always hot spring water. One ryokan in Kinosaki Onsen states on its own room page that the open-air bath in a guest room uses ordinary heated water, not natural hot spring water, which it says is by regulation in Kinosaki Onsen, while its shared bath uses spring water. If the spring water matters to you, ask before you book.
• On the day. Arrive on time because slots are fixed, take towels if none are supplied, and follow the same routine as in a shared bath: wash first.

Onsen at a ryokan

JNTO's ryokan guide says most ryokan have an onsen, and that staff will explain customs such as taking an onsen bath. A ryokan stay runs on a fixed timetable, so the baths are best planned around it.

• Fit your baths around dinner. Dinner is usually served at a set time, so many guests bathe once before dinner and again later in the evening or in the morning. Ask at check-in when the baths open and close.
• Know the types. A ryokan may have an indoor bath (内湯, うちゆ, uchiyu), a shared open-air bath (露天風呂, ろてんぶろ, roten-buro), a bookable private bath, a room with its own bath, or a combination. Check which the inn has when you book.
• Expect changes through the day. Baths can close for cleaning, and some inns swap the men's and women's baths at set times, so read the kanji 男 and 女 every time.
• Ask about tattoos when booking, not at the door. A ryokan's rule is its own and can differ from the public baths in the same town; JNTO says this about Kinosaki Onsen.
• Ask about day visits. Some ryokan and hotels let non-guests bathe for a fee (日帰り入浴, ひがえりにゅうよく, higaeri nyūyoku), usually in set hours. Search the venue's page for the word, or ask.
• Check the extras. The bill in an onsen town can include a small bathing tax (入湯税, にゅうとうぜい, nyūtōzei). Sapporo City's official page lists 150 yen per person for an overnight stay and 100 yen for a day visit at hot-spring baths, with children under 12 and users of public bathhouses exempt. Rates are set locally, so other places differ.

For rooms, meals, check-in times and yukata, see our comparison of ryokan, hotels, capsule hotels and hostels in Japan.

Accessibility

Onsen were not designed around step-free access, so ask before you go. JNTO's page on travelling with a disability says that some hotels have bathing and showering facilities and an assisted bathing service, and advises independent research for current information. JNTO's page on Kurokawa and Kuju says three of the onsen it covers offer barrier-free bathing for wheelchair users. Accessible Japan, a private information site run by tabiLabs Inc. and not an official body, rates onsen accessibility in general as poor. For the Beppu onsen it covers, it says that steps or stairs are standard and that, even where a bath is listed as step-free, personal wheelchairs are usually not allowed into the bathing area for hygiene reasons. It also describes some baths in Beppu that lend waterproof wheelchairs at the entrance. Treat these as reasons to ask, not as promises.

• Steps (段差, だんさ, dansa). Are there steps between the entrance, changing room, washing area and bath, and how high are they?
• Support. Are there handrails and non-slip floors, and is there a lift or a ramp into the bath?
• Seating. Is there a chair or a raised stool at the washing station (the traditional stools are small), and somewhere to sit and rest in the changing room?
• Wheelchairs. Can I take my own into the changing room or washing area, or does the venue lend a waterproof chair?
• Assistance. Is assisted bathing available, and can my companion or carer come in with me, including when their sex differs from the bath's? A private bath is the usual way around that question.
• Alternatives. Is there a private bath, a room with its own bath or an accessible room, and are the toilets accessible too?
• Time. Can I bathe at a quiet hour and take the time I need, within the venue's rules?

Health and safety cautions

These cautions come from the Ministry of the Environment's leaflet The ABCs for the Safe and Secure Use of Onsen (March 2019, compiled under the supervision of the Japanese Society of Balneology, Climatology and Physical Medicine) and from the Japan Onsen Association. They are general information, not medical advice: ask a doctor if you are unsure, and ask the venue about its own water. We cannot know whether a bath is safe for you: if in doubt, do not bathe, and follow the venue's staff.

• Meals and alcohol. Avoid bathing immediately before or after a meal, including after drinking alcohol, and avoid bathing when you are over-tired or within 30 minutes after exercise. Drink water before and after.
• Heat. Older people, people with high blood pressure or heart disease, and people who have had a cerebral haemorrhage should avoid water of 42°C or more. Pouring water over your body, starting with the extremities, before you get in helps your body adjust.
• Existing conditions. The leaflet says not to bathe during the active stage of an illness, especially with a fever, and that severe heart or lung disease with shortness of breath, or severe kidney disease, needs a doctor's strict guidance. Ask your doctor before your trip if any of this applies to you.
• Pregnancy. The leaflet answers the question of whether pregnant women can bathe in onsen with yes, but says they should not bathe for too long or in high temperatures and should be careful on slippery floors. Ask your own doctor first.
• Skin and wounds. Acidic and sulphur springs can irritate hypersensitive skin, so read the notice about the spring and rinse off afterwards if your skin is sensitive. Do not bathe while you are bleeding.
• Length of soak. The Japan Onsen Association suggests about 3 to 10 minutes at a time, and longer only as you get used to it.
• Getting out. Move slowly to avoid getting dizzy. If you feel faint or unwell, leave slowly and ask for help.
• Not alone. Older people, children and people with physical disabilities should avoid bathing alone.
• Drinking onsen water. Do it only where drinking is permitted.

If you feel unwell on your trip, read our guides to what happens if you get sick in Japan as a tourist, Japanese emergency numbers and phrases and travel insurance for Japan.

How to choose an experience

There is no best onsen, only the one that fits your day, your comfort and your body. Start with the row that sounds most like you.

Day trip or overnight?

A day trip works when the onsen town is within easy reach of where you are staying and the venue accepts day visitors; check the last train back. An overnight stay lets you bathe in the evening and the morning without rushing, but costs more and ties you to the ryokan's dinner time. JNTO describes Kinosaki Onsen as about 2.5 hours by train from Kyoto City, and says visitors can join the bath-hopping (温泉巡り, おんせんめぐり, onsen meguri; the round of Kinosaki's public baths is also called 外湯めぐり, そとゆめぐり, sotoyu meguri) around its seven public baths whether or not they stay overnight, with a day pass for all seven. Dōgo Onsen's official site, which is about its bathhouse, says that overnight stay is not available there, so staying overnight means finding lodging elsewhere in the town. Outdoor baths feel very different in winter and summer, so see our guides to the best time to visit Japan and Japan's weather by month and what to wear when you plan.

A checklist before you go

• Does the venue accept day visitors, and until what time?
• Is the tattoo rule confirmed by the venue, including whether stickers are accepted?
• Is the private bath booked, with the slot time, the number of people and the fee confirmed?
• Are step-free access, handrails and seating confirmed, if you need them?
• Do you know what towels the venue supplies and what to bring?
• Do you have cash for lockers, extras and any bathing tax?
• No alcohol or heavy meal just before, and water to drink afterwards?
• Have you asked your doctor if you are pregnant or have a heart, blood pressure or other condition?

Common mistakes

• Assuming every bath follows the same rules, instead of checking the venue's own notice or page.
• Trusting an old tattoo-friendly list. Lists go stale, and a town's public baths and its ryokan can have different rules.
• Using a cover sticker without asking whether it is accepted.
• Booking an 'onsen room' and assuming the in-room bath is hot spring water.
• Turning up late for a private-bath slot, or with more people than the venue allows.
• Bathing right after a big meal or after drinking, or soaking until you feel faint.
• Wearing swimwear into an ordinary bath, or taking your large towel into the bathing area.
• Arriving without cash, or without knowing about extras such as a bathing tax or towel rental.

Useful Japanese: words

Useful Japanese: phrases to ask

More phrases for the desk, the shop and the station are in our hub on essential Japanese phrases for travelling in Japan.

Official information

On 24 October 2026 we opened the pages listed below. We used the Ministry of the Environment's definition page and the Japan Onsen Association for the legal definition; JNTO's onsen etiquette guide, beginner's guide and tattoo article for nudity, towels, tattoos, cover stickers and private-bath lengths; JNTO's tattoo-friendly list for the Kinosaki Onsen and Dōgo Onsen notes; the 2016 notice, in the copy attached to the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare's circular, for the government guidance; JNTO's disability and Kurokawa pages for accessibility; the Ministry's English safety leaflet and the Japan Onsen Association for the health cautions; Dōgo Onsen's English site for its manners and repair status; Sapporo City's page for the bathing tax; and one ryokan room page in Kinosaki Onsen for the in-room water note. We could not open the Visit Kinosaki site (it showed a maintenance notice) or the Japan Tourism Agency's own copy of the 2016 notice. We found no official figures for how many venues admit tattooed guests, for private-bath prices or for day-visit fees, so we quote none. Tattoo rules, prices, hours and bookings change, so confirm them with the venue. NihongoTech is independent: none of the venues, tourism bodies or agencies named here has reviewed, sponsored or endorsed this post, and we receive no payment or affiliate income from them.

Government and associations: Ministry of the Environment: definition of onsen (in Japanese), Ministry of the Environment: The ABCs for the Safe and Secure Use of Onsen, Japan Onsen Association: what counts as onsen, Japan Onsen Association: bathing cautions, Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare: circular of 18 March 2016 forwarding the Japan Tourism Agency's notice of 16 March 2016 on tattoos and bathing (in Japanese) and Sapporo City: bathing tax (in Japanese).

Tourism bodies and venues: JNTO: onsen etiquette guide, JNTO: a beginner's guide to onsen, JNTO: onsen, tattoos and etiquette, JNTO: tattoo-friendly onsen, JNTO: Japanese ryokan guide, JNTO: traveling with a disability, JNTO: Kurokawa and Kuju, Dōgo Onsen, Dōgo Onsen: bathing manners, a Kinosaki Onsen ryokan room page and Accessible Japan: Beppu onsen accessibility (a private site).