Onsen Guide Japan
Yanagiyu (Kinosaki Onsen)

Tattoo-friendly onsen in Kinosaki

Yanagiyu (Kinosaki Onsen) — Photo: 663highland / CC BY 2.5 / Wikimedia Commons

Kinosaki's official tourism site says every public bath in town allows tattoos of any size, uncovered. Six baths, their hours and closing days, and a one-day pass.

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Kinosaki’s official tourism site says that all of the town’s public baths (soto-yu) allow tattoos of any size, with no need to cover them.

All six public baths currently listed by the Kinosaki Onsen Tourism Association are below.

The six public baths

All cost ¥800 (children 3 to primary school ¥400). Last entry is 30 minutes before closing. Each closes one day a week. Ichi no Yu and Mandarayu both close on Wednesdays, and Goshonoyu and Yanagiyu both close on Thursdays, so on those two days only four are open; on other days all six are.

Bath Hours Closed
Ichi no Yu — cave bath 7:00–23:00 Wednesday
Goshonoyu — open-air bath against the hillside 7:00–23:00 Thursday
Kounoyu 7:00–23:00 Tuesday
Jizoyu 7:00–23:00 Monday
Mandarayu — open-air bath 15:00–23:00 Wednesday
Yanagiyu — the smallest 15:00–23:00 Thursday

Two of them, Mandarayu and Yanagiyu, open only in the afternoon.

Save with the one-day pass

If you plan to visit more than one bath as a day visitor, the Yumepa one-day pass (¥1,500 for adults, ¥750 for children) covers all of them. Buy it at the counter of any public bath.

The water

The public baths share the same water: a sodium-calcium-chloride spring at about 42°C, according to the tourism association.

Note on the “seven” baths

The official tourism site says “all seven” public baths. The tourism association’s own list now shows six. We list the six it shows.

See also