Guide · Culture and etiquette
Onsen and sento etiquette for first-timers, tattoos included
Wash first, then soak. Undress completely in the changing room, rinse and wash your whole body at the seated showers, and only then get into the bath. Keep your towel out of the water, tie up long hair, keep your voice down and take no photos. With tattoos, each bath sets its own rule: ask first, cover a small tattoo with a skin-coloured sticker where that is accepted, or book a private kashikiri bath. In 2016 the Japan Tourism Agency told hotels, ryokan and onsen that refusing a foreign visitor only because of a tattoo is not appropriate. A neighbourhood sento costs at most ¥600 for adults in Tokyo and Osaka.
Sources: Japan Tourism Agency, Ministry of the Environment, Tokyo Sento Association, JNTO, Tokyo and Osaka governments and Kinosaki Onsen, listed at the end · checked 24 October 2026
Onsen, sento or ryokan bath?
| Type | What it is | Cost | Good to know |
|---|---|---|---|
| Onsen (温泉) | A bath fed by natural hot-spring water, from a day-use bathhouse to a resort | Set by each facility | Must display its water’s properties and bathing precautions; read them |
| Sento (銭湯) | A neighbourhood public bath with heated tap water | Capped: adults up to ¥600 in Tokyo and Osaka | Quick, cheap, in every city; often very hot water |
| Ryokan or hotel bath | A communal bath for guests, often onsen water | Included in your stay | Open late and early, closed for cleaning; private baths often available |
| Private bath (貸切風呂, kashikiri) | A bath reserved for your group alone, for a set time, or one in your room | Often an extra charge | The simplest choice with tattoos or for couples and families |
Price caps from the Tokyo Metropolitan Government (¥600 for ages 12+ from 1 August 2026) and Osaka Prefecture (¥600 for ages 12+ from 1 April 2025); they cover ordinary sento only, and each bath sets its own price up to the cap. Other prefectures set their own caps. Display rule from the Ministry of the Environment’s standards under the Hot Springs Act.
Step by step, the first time
Based on the Tokyo Sento Association’s guide to using a sento and the Japan Tourism Agency’s rules for communal baths; an onsen or ryokan bath works the same way once you are past the entrance.
- Shoes off at the entrance. Put them in a shoe locker and take the key with you.
- Pay. At the counter (a raised bandai seat or a front desk) or a ticket machine. A sauna can cost extra; ask at the counter.
- Go to the right side. Curtains or doors are marked 男 (men) and 女 (women).
- Undress completely in the changing room, including underwear. Lock your things in a locker and wear the key on your wrist; where there are only baskets, leave valuables with the counter.
- Rinse off (kakeyu). Pour water over yourself from a basin, starting with your hands and feet so your body gets used to the heat.
- Wash your whole body at the showers before you get in, as the Japan Tourism Agency asks. Rinse off all the soap, and watch that your shower does not spray your neighbour.
- Soak. Lower yourself in slowly. Keep your small towel out of the water and long hair tied up. If the water is too hot, ask the people in the bath before running cold water into it.
- Dry off before you go back. Wipe yourself down with your towel in the bathing area so you do not drip on the changing-room floor.
- Drink water before and after. You sweat more than you expect.
Steps from the Tokyo Sento Association, which also suggests about 5–10 minutes in hot water and asks you to wash before soaking; the rinse from the hands and feet and the glass of water before and after are also in the Ministry of the Environment’s bathing precautions. Tokyo’s sento keep the water at around 42 °C, and the bath is more than 50 cm deep.
The rules everyone follows
- No swimsuit or clothing in the bath.
- Wash before you get in, not in the bath.
- Your towel never goes in the water.
- Long hair tied up, out of the water.
- No photos or video anywhere in the bathing or changing areas.
- Quiet voices: many people come to relax.
From the Japan Tourism Agency’s ryokan Q&A on communal baths, which lists each of these.
Staying safe in hot water
Every onsen has to display bathing precautions, following standards set by the Ministry of the Environment. The ones that matter most for a visitor:
- Not after drinking, and not straight before or after a meal. Rest for about 30 minutes after exercise.
- Short soaks at first: about 3–10 minutes, longer (15–20 minutes) once you are used to it.
- Older people, people with high blood pressure or heart disease, and anyone who has had a stroke should avoid water of 42 °C or more. Older people and children should not bathe alone.
- Get out slowly to avoid dizziness. If you feel faint, call for help, climb out keeping your head low and lie down.
- After an onsen, pat yourself dry instead of rinsing off the spring water, then keep warm and rest for about 30 minutes. If your skin is sensitive, or the water is acidic, sulphurous or chlorinated, rinse it off.
General information from the Ministry of the Environment’s standards, not medical advice. If you have a medical condition, check with your doctor before using very hot baths.
What to bring
| Item | Sento | Onsen or ryokan |
|---|---|---|
| Small towel (for washing, kept out of the water) | Bring one, or buy one at the counter | Usually provided; JNTO says you can cover yourself with it on the way in |
| Bath towel (for drying) | Bring one | Check with the facility |
| Soap and shampoo | Bring, or buy small sizes at the counter | JNTO says most hot springs provide them |
| Hair tie | Yes, for long hair | Yes, for long hair |
| Jewellery | Leave it in the locker | Take it off: some spring water can discolour metal |
| Cash | Small change, in case there is a ticket machine | Check how the facility takes payment |
Sento items from the Tokyo Sento Association, which says most sento sell small soap, shampoo, conditioner and towels, so you can go empty-handed. Onsen items from JNTO’s etiquette articles. Need cash? See which ATMs take foreign cards. Planning a ski trip with onsen? See Japan in winter.
Baths at a ryokan
- No booking needed for the communal bath. At many ryokan it is open late at night and early in the morning, except while it is being cleaned, so check the times when you arrive.
- Private baths come in two kinds: a bath in your room, which you use whenever you like, and a bath you reserve for a set time. Ask the staff on arrival to book the second kind.
- Go in your yukata. Many guests change into the cotton robe and slippers in their room and walk to the bath in them.
- Not in the middle of the night or after a lot of alcohol, the Japan Tourism Agency asks, to avoid accidents.
Heading to Hakone for its hot springs? See Mt Fuji and Hakone from Tokyo for trains, passes and the loop.
If you have tattoos
In Japan, tattoos have long been linked with organised crime, so many bathing facilities banned them. The Japan Tourism Agency’s ryokan Q&A says that policies now differ widely: some places have no restriction at all, and some decide case by case, where one or two small tattoos may be fine. In March 2016 it wrote to the national hotel, ryokan and onsen associations: refusing to let a foreign visitor bathe only because they have a tattoo is not appropriate, and facilities should consider other ways to avoid friction. Your options, from easiest:
| Option | How | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Private bath | A room with its own bath, or a kashikiri bath booked for a set time | Usually an extra charge and limited slots; book early |
| Tattoo-friendly town | In Kinosaki Onsen, all the public bathhouses allow tattoos of any size without covering (one of the seven is closed for renovation) | Baths inside Kinosaki’s inns set their own rules |
| Cover stickers | A skin-coloured sticker or patch over the tattoo, where the bath accepts it; check first | Some baths refuse tattoos even when covered; others only accept small ones |
| Ask first | Email before you book, or show the card below at the counter before you pay | The answer can depend on the size and number of tattoos |
| A sento | JNTO says neighbourhood sento typically accept tattoos | Still check; some do not |
From the Japan Tourism Agency (2016 notice and ryokan Q&A), JNTO and Visit Kinosaki. The agency’s notice also suggests that facilities let small tattoos (for example, the size of a palm) in without any special step, steer tattooed bathers to quieter times with fewer families, or split baths between groups; none of this is binding, and each facility still decides.
Kinosaki Onsen is about 2.5 hours by train from Kyoto, within JR West’s Kansai WIDE Area Pass (see JR Pass vs regional passes). JNTO says guests of its ryokan get a free pass to the public baths during their stay, and day visitors can buy a day pass; each ryokan sets its own tattoo rule for its in-house baths. Visit Kinosaki lists Satono-yu as closed for renovation since 1 April 2024. Its website was in maintenance mode when we checked on 24 October 2026, so confirm opening days and closures before you go.
Phrases to show staff
The same four cards are in the bath section of our Show-to-Staff Cards, where you can add them to a deck, open them full screen and use them offline.
-
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 a tattoo. Can I use the bath? For an onsen, sento or hotel bath. Each place sets its own rule, so ask before you pay or undress.
-
タトゥーを隠すシールを貼れば、入浴できますか？
tatū o kakusu shīru o hareba, nyūyoku dekimasu ka?
If I cover my tattoo with a sticker, can I use the bath? Some baths accept a covered small tattoo; others refuse any tattoo, covered or not.
-
貸切風呂はありますか？
kashikiri buro wa arimasu ka?
Do you have a private bath I can reserve? A kashikiri bath is booked for your group alone, usually for a set time. Often the easiest option with tattoos.
-
タオルを借りられますか？
taoru o kariraremasu ka?
Can I rent a towel? Most sento sell small towels, soap and shampoo at the counter, so you can go empty-handed.
Quick answers
Can I go to an onsen with tattoos?
Often, but not everywhere: each bath sets its own rule. The Japan Tourism Agency told bathing facilities in 2016 that refusing a foreign visitor only because of a tattoo is not appropriate, and suggested cover stickers, quieter times or private baths instead. Ask before you pay, cover small tattoos, book a private (kashikiri) bath, or choose a tattoo-friendly town such as Kinosaki Onsen.
Do you have to be naked in an onsen?
Yes, in the communal baths. Swimsuits and underwear are not worn in the water; the Japan Tourism Agency asks bathers not to wear a swimsuit or any clothing in the bath. Men and women bathe separately, marked 男 (men) and 女 (women).
Do you wash before or after getting in?
Before. Rinse off with water from the tap or a basin, then wash your whole body at the seated showers, and only then get into the bath. After an onsen, the Ministry of the Environment suggests patting yourself dry rather than rinsing off the spring water, unless you have sensitive skin or the water is acidic, sulphurous or chlorinated.
What should I bring to a sento?
A small towel for washing, a larger one for drying, and soap and shampoo if you have them. You can also go empty-handed: the Tokyo Sento Association says most sento sell small soap, shampoo, conditioner and towels at the counter, and some sell bath sets.
How much does a sento cost?
In Tokyo and Osaka, at most ¥600 for anyone aged 12 or over: both prefectures cap the price of neighbourhood sento at that level (Tokyo from 1 August 2026, Osaka from 1 April 2025). Each bath can charge less, and a sauna can cost extra.
Can I put my towel in the water?
No. Keep your small towel out of the bath; the Japan Tourism Agency, the Ministry of the Environment and the Tokyo Sento Association all say so. Tie up long hair as well.
How long should you stay in a hot bath?
Not long at first. The Ministry of the Environment suggests about 3–10 minutes per soak to begin with, and up to 15–20 minutes once you are used to it; the Tokyo Sento Association suggests about 5–10 minutes in hot water. Drink a glass of water before and after, and get out slowly.
Planning the rest of the trip? See Osaka in one or two days, getting to Noboribetsu Onsen in Hokkaido, the wider etiquette and tipping guide and Kyoto and Nara day trips. The trip planner turns your dates into a checklist.
Sources
Checked against these pages on 24 October 2026. Official pages take precedence over this summary.
- Japan Tourism Agency (MLIT): Questions for ryokan: communal baths and tattoos
- Japan Tourism Agency, via the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare: Bathing by foreign visitors with tattoos: points to note and examples for bathing facilities (2016 notice, Japanese, PDF)
- Ministry of the Environment: Standards for the bathing precautions every hot spring must display (Japanese, PDF)
- Tokyo Sento Association: How to use a sento, step by step (Japanese)
Trade association of Tokyo’s public bathhouses. - Tokyo Sento Association: About sento: water temperature and depth
Trade association of Tokyo’s public bathhouses. - Japan National Tourism Organization: Hot springs in Japan
- Japan National Tourism Organization: Onsen hot springs: on tattoos and etiquette (towels, toiletries, jewellery, yukata)
- Japan National Tourism Organization: 7 tattoo-friendly onsen in Japan, with sento and private-bath tips
- Visit Kinosaki (Kinosaki Onsen Tourism Association): Tattoo-friendly onsen of Kinosaki
Official tourism site of the onsen town; in temporary maintenance mode on 24 Oct 2026. - Tokyo Metropolitan Government: Public bath (sento) price cap: adults ¥600 from 1 August 2026 (press release, Japanese)
- Osaka Prefectural Government: Public bath (sento) price cap: adults ¥600 from 1 April 2025 (Japanese)
General information. Each bath sets its own rules, prices and opening hours, and its own notice or staff are always right. JapanBenri is not affiliated with any bathhouse, ryokan or tourism association.