# Onsen, ryokan and etiquette in Japan: bathing, tattoos, temples and dining

At a hot spring, you wash thoroughly at the shower stations before getting into the water, naked, with the small towel kept out of the bath, and photos are forbidden. Some places refuse tattoos: the national tourism organisation advises checking the policy in advance or booking a private bath. At a Shinto shrine, you rinse your hands at the basin, then bow twice, clap twice and bow once more.

Source : https://umika-travel.com/en/guides/onsen-etiquette-japan/

An onsen, a bath fed by a hot spring, is taken naked, after washing thoroughly at the shower stations, in a pool separated by sex, with no phone or camera. These rules, published by the JNTO (Japan National Tourism Organization), apply in hot-spring villages as well as in ryokan, traditional Japanese inns, and in the hotels of our selection that have their own baths. This guide follows the steps of the bath, then those of a night in a ryokan, a visit to shrines and temples, and a meal.

## Before getting into the water

1. **Take off your shoes.** Shoes or slippers come off before the changing room.
2. **Undress completely** in the changing room, swimsuit included. Changing rooms are always separated by sex, as are the great majority of baths.
3. **Leave your phone in the changing room.** Photos are strictly forbidden in the bathing area.
4. **Wash** at the shower stations, with soap and shampoo, then rinse off completely. Remove make-up as well.
5. **Get used to the temperature** by pouring hot water over your body: this is kakeyu.

Tie up or wrap long hair. The small towel does not go in the water: fold it on your head or put it on the edge of the bath.

## In the bath

Speak quietly, and do not swim or splash. Avoid alcohol before bathing. The JNTO advises against staying in the water too long, without setting a time: if you get too hot, step out to cool down and drink some water.

In some ryokan, the two shared baths switch between men and women. At [Hakone Ginyu](/en/hotels/hakone-ginyu/), the two infinity baths, Tsuki-shiro and Tsuki-ne, are open from 14:00 to 10:30 the next morning and switch sides at 22:00; at [Gora Kadan](/en/hotels/gora-kadan/), they switch at 3:00.

## Tattoos and private baths

Some onsen have a "no tattoos" rule, and more and more accept them. The JNTO advises checking the policy in advance, choosing a place that accepts tattoos or booking a private bath, a kashikiriburo. Cover-up stickers only work for very small tattoos. On board the [guntû](/en/hotels/guntu/), the floating hotel on the Seto Inland Sea, tattoos must be covered in public areas, and guests with tattoos may not use the shared baths and saunas.

A private bath settles the question. The baths of the ryokan and hotels in our selection, from a bath in every room to shared baths only:

| Property | Baths |
|---|---|
| [Beniya Mukayu](/en/hotels/beniya-mukayu/), Yamashiro Onsen | 16 rooms, all with a private open-air hot-spring bath on the garden; two shared baths, Gensei and Usuko |
| Hakone Ginyu, Hakone | private open-air hot-spring bath on the terrace of every room, facing the Hayakawa valley |
| Gora Kadan, Hakone | shared baths fed by private springs; private open-air bath bookable for 40 minutes at no extra charge |
| KAI Okuhida, Hirayu Onsen | 28 of the 49 rooms with a private open-air hot-spring bath on the terrace |
| Wanosato, near Takayama | private stone or hinoki (Japanese cypress) bath in every room; shared hot-spring baths from 14:00 to 17:50 and from 6:30 to 10:00, which can be reserved for private use on request on the day |
| [Iwasō](/en/hotels/iwaso/), Miyajima | shared baths only, indoor and open-air facing the forest, from 15:00 to midnight and from 6:00 to 9:30 |
| Hoshinoya Tokyo, Otemachi | shared hot-spring baths on the 17th floor, fed by a spring drawn from 1,500 m down, from 15:00 to 11:30 the next morning |

In Kyoto, the Capella Kyoto has three private onsen rooms in its spa, and the Aman Kyoto has onsen baths, with access included in every stay.

## Public baths and the onsen tax

Many places in hot-spring villages welcome day bathers without an overnight stay. Two hotels in our selection give access to a nearby public bath: [KAI Kaga](/en/hotels/kai-kaga/), in Yamashiro Onsen, to the Ko-Soyu, a replica of a Meiji-era (1868-1912) bathhouse, and Azumi Setoda to the yubune bathhouse opposite, with hot baths and a sauna.

The hot-spring bathing tax, a municipal tax, is generally 150 ¥ (about 1 €) per person per day; some towns charge a different amount. It may be added to the advertised price: at Gora Kadan, it is charged on top of the room rate.

## A night in a ryokan

A ryokan runs to a timetable. The Nagano prefecture tourist board advises arriving before 18:00 if you are dining in; each inn sets its own times, from 14:00 to 16:00 for check-in and from 10:00 to 11:00 for check-out at the ryokan in our selection. Kinjohro, in Kanazawa, welcomes guests from 16:00 to 19:00. Dinner is usually kaiseki, a meal of many courses, and the staff lay out the futons, the mattresses placed on the tatami, during dinner.

Inside:

- shoes come off at the entrance, and slippers are provided;
- slippers come off on the tatami, the woven straw mats covering the floor of the rooms;
- separate toilet slippers wait at the toilet door;
- the yukata, a light cotton kimono provided by the inn, may be worn outside the room in some ryokan and not in others: the rules are posted near the baths, and the staff can tell you.

The large shared bath, separated by sex, is called daiyokujo; private baths to be booked, kashikiri, are sometimes charged extra, and the rotemburo is the open-air bath.

## At shrines and temples

**At a Shinto shrine**, bow once before the torii, the entrance gate, then walk slightly to the left or right of the centre of the path. At the purification basin, the temizuya, take the ladle in your right hand to rinse your left hand, then in your left hand to rinse your right, pour water into your left hand to rinse your mouth and spit it out beside the basin, without putting the ladle to your lips. At the main hall: a coin in the offering box, ring the bell, bow twice, clap twice, pray with hands together, and bow once more.

**At a Buddhist temple**, do not clap. Incense is bought for a coin; put out the flame by waving your hand rather than blowing, and pray in silence. Shoes sometimes come off before entering the buildings, with shelves or bags provided. Some temples forbid photos inside: signs say so. The temples and shrines of [Kyoto](/en/japan/kyoto/) and Nara follow these customs.

**In Gion**, Kyoto's teahouse district, residents ask visitors not to stop, touch, follow, photograph or film a geiko or maiko, a performer and an apprentice of the traditional arts, without her consent. Private property, where photography is forbidden, may not be entered without permission; trespassing carries a fine of up to 100,000 ¥ (about 564 €).

## At the table, on the train and tipping

- **At the table**, sushi may be eaten with your fingers; dip the fish in the soy sauce, not the rice. Slurping noodles is fine; leaving food on your plate is frowned upon. You can ask for cutlery other than chopsticks, although traditional restaurants do not always have it.
- **On trains and buses**, speak quietly, set your phone to silent mode and avoid phone calls. Our [trains](/en/guides/japan-trains-jr-pass/) guide covers the rest of shinkansen travel.
- **Tipping** is uncommon in restaurants, taxis and hotels. A private guide may be tipped, discreetly, in an envelope.

## Frequently asked questions

### How do you bathe in an onsen in Japan?

Take off your shoes, undress completely in the changing room, swimsuit included, and leave your phone there. Wash thoroughly with soap and shampoo at the shower stations, rinse off, then pour hot water over your body before getting into the bath. The small towel stays out of the water, and photos are forbidden.

### Can you go to an onsen with a tattoo?

Some places refuse tattoos and more and more accept them. The Japan National Tourism Organization advises checking the policy in advance, choosing a place that accepts tattoos or booking a private bath. A ryokan room with its own hot-spring bath also settles the question.

### Do you bathe naked in an onsen?

Yes, swimsuits are not worn in the shared baths, which are separated by sex in the great majority of cases. Some places offer family or private baths, where couples or families can bathe together.

### What is the onsen tax?

It is a municipal tax on hot-spring bathing, generally ¥150 per person per day. Some towns charge a different amount, and it may be added to the advertised room price.

### Can you wear a yukata outside your room?

It depends on the ryokan: some allow it outside the room, others do not. The rules are posted near the baths, and the staff can tell you.

### Should you tip in Japan?

Tipping is uncommon in restaurants, taxis and hotels. A private guide may be given a tip, discreetly, in an envelope.