Tattoo Friendly Onsens

[Lukes]

Lol! In the hotel's pool right now there is a blond lady with a tattoo "Dad" (and a shooting star) on her back. She is sexy but I would not like to be her lover and do it doggie style

Lol, are you sure it's a shooting star?

Is this always true in your experience? I'm sure I've seen some bathhouses that are not onsen that have the tattoo ban signs. Plus, public pools are against tattoos and they are publicly owned and operated...

"Public" and "publicly owned" are different. Government owned facilities maybe but a commercial "Public bathhouse" (despite the public being in the description) has no obligation to let you in.

 

[MikeH]

"Public bathhouse" (despite the public being in the description) has no obligation to let you in.

If they take government subsidies then they do have to let everyone in. To be clear we are now talking about the places that are called sentou 銭湯 in Tokyo area. I think the crazy people in Osaka call everything onsen, but let's forget that now.

Most of the small communal baths in Tokyo area, if not all, survive with the subsidies. That then means they need to follow the guidelines which set the price at 460 yens and that they need to let anyone in. Lately I have though noticed that a few places do limit the hours for people with tatoos; they are only OK to enter from morning to afternoon or something similar.

Is this always true in your experience? I'm sure I've seen some bathhouses that are not onsen that have the tattoo ban signs.

At my best knowledge that is the rules the government is making them to follow. Do you remember which ones, I could take a look?

 

[User#8628]

Most of the small communal baths in Tokyo area, if not all, survive with the subsidies. That then means they need to follow the guidelines which set the price at 460 yens and that they need to let anyone in.

Yep, i have recently been in one in Okubo with my tattooed friend. 460 yen only and her tattoos were no problem. It was crowded and not so big but everything looked nice, new and clean, there were a few different types of baths... I imagined public bathhouses a lot trashier than that. Great for the kind of money we paid, although a time with less people would have been nice. I think it was a national holiday though.

Also it was about 17.00 and tattoos were still ok there, but i guess it depends on the place.

 

[MikeH]

Also it was about 17.00 and tattoos were still ok there, but i guess it depends on the place.

I have been in a few hundred places in and around of Tokyo and only seen those restrictions two times; both this year. Most of the places I have been are in old residential areas and there the buildings and facilities are normally pretty worn down and show their age. Some places are trying to supplement their income by having a sauna room which they can charge extra if they choose so but still I think I'm going to see most of them closed during the next decade or so.

 

[ThegoddessKaya]

@MikeH is there a place online in English where these regulations are listed? I speak Japanese and would be able to explain that to any opposition in the future if I knew the laws. ありがとう！

 

[krdxgm69]

With the 2020 Olympics approaching, the Japanese government is encouraging onsens to change their policy.

What a pity. As if it is not enough that some foreign tourists don't take a shower before entering the bath.

 

[ThegoddessKaya]

and a sentou 銭塘 is the same as a bathhouse with a ゆcurtain kinda place right?　　＃nikkeijinproblems are you half Japanese by chance? (wink wink)