Tattoo cover stickers at Japanese onsen — sizes and rules, bath by bath
Mori no Yu at Hakone Kowakien Yunessun — Photo: Kounoichi / CC BY-SA 4.0 / Wikimedia Commons
Five baths that let you in if your tattoo is covered, with each bath's own rule on sticker size, how many you may use, where to buy them and what happens if a tattoo shows.
- Mori no Yu at Hakone Kowakien YunessunAllowed if covered
Photo: Kounoichi / CC BY-SA 4.0 / Wikimedia Commons
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“Can I get in if I cover my tattoo?” is one of the most common questions about onsen in Japan, and the usual answer online is “sometimes”. That is true but not very useful. The baths that accept covered tattoos each have their own, specific rule — and they differ on the details that decide whether you get in.
Below are the rules as each bath states them on its own website.
The rules side by side
| Bath | Sticker size | How many | Whose sticker | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tokyo Toyosu Manyo Club (Tokyo) | Up to 11 × 20 cm | Up to 2 | The bath’s own | Not stated |
| Maenohara Onsen Saya-no-Yudokoro (Tokyo) | 11 × 20 cm | Up to 2 | The bath’s own — you must buy them | ¥310 each |
| Mori no Yu, Hakone Kowakien Yunessun (Hakone) | Not stated | 2 | The bath’s own (paid) | Not stated |
| Solaniwa Onsen Osaka Bay Tower (Osaka) | Not stated | Not stated | The bath’s own (sold at the front desk) | Not stated |
| Hyoe Koyokaku (Arima, Kobe) | Not stated | Not stated | Bring your own | — |
The practical upshot: at the two Tokyo baths, the largest tattoo you can cover is two stickers of 11 × 20 cm (about 22 × 20 cm in total). A full sleeve or a back piece will not fit. Four of the five baths require their own stickers.
What each bath says
Tokyo Toyosu Manyo Club
Tattoos — and tattoo-like stickers and body paint — are refused in principle. If the tattoo can be covered with up to two of the bath’s stickers, each up to 11 × 20 cm, you may use the facility with them on. You must keep them on for your whole stay, not just in the bath. If you enter without telling the staff, you will be asked to leave immediately.
Maenohara Onsen Saya-no-Yudokoro
You may enter if the tattoo is completely covered with up to two of the bath’s own cover stickers (11 × 20 cm, ¥310 each). If you refuse to buy and use the bath’s stickers, you will not be admitted.
Mori no Yu, Hakone Kowakien Yunessun
Since 1 October 2025, you may use Mori no Yu (the large bath, not the swimsuit area) only if the tattoo can be fully covered with two of the bath’s paid stickers. The size and price are not published.
Solaniwa Onsen Osaka Bay Tower
Tattoos are refused in principle, but as a trial, you may enter and bathe if the tattoo is completely hidden with the cover stickers sold at the front desk. Any tattoo that would show outside the loungewear must be covered too. If a tattoo is found after you enter, you will be asked to leave.
Hyoe Koyokaku (Arima Onsen)
The large baths are normally closed to guests with tattoos, but if you bring your own stickers and can hide the tattoo completely, that rule does not apply. This is a ryokan with no bath-only option: day visitors book a plan with lunch or dinner in advance.
Before you go
- Measure your tattoo. If it is larger than two 11 × 20 cm stickers, the covered-tattoo route will not work at the Tokyo baths above.
- Do not bring your own stickers unless the bath says so. Four of the five baths above require their own.
- Cover it for the whole visit, not just in the water, where the bath asks.
- Tell the front desk. At some baths, entering without saying so means being asked to leave.
- Rules change, and Solaniwa calls its scheme a trial. Check the bath’s own page on the day.
If covering is not an option, look at baths that admit tattoos without conditions: Onsen where the bath itself says tattoos are OK.