Good Afternoon! I am currently residing in Yokosuka and my fiancee is in Yokohama. We are trying to find an onsen that has private rooms that will allow people with tattoos...actually, any facility that would allow tattoos. If you know of one near our area or one in another location, please let me know. Thank you for your time and God Bless!
An Onsen That Allows Tattoos
- Thread starter D29TEXAS
- Start date
- 8 Aug 2005
- 7,316
- 3,727
You are probably going to have a harder time finding many onsen with private rooms than many that'll have a problem with a few tattoos. Do a search here on the forums for "onsen tattoo," you aren't the first person to ask about this.
Emoni
先輩
- 20 Sep 2003
- 1,779
- 67
If you are a "foreigner," going by a few experiences from a friend you'll be able to find onsens that will allow you to have tattoos.
As for one that I know for sure, go to the big Onsen area in Matsuyama in Shikoku , I can't remember the name but it is one of the first onsen areas in Japan. I went in to one there, the one that looks like an old Greek building (can't miss it) and found that they were filled with middle aged men with large body tattoos.
So if you are willing to make a trip down to Shikoku, possibly bath with Yakuza, and do whatever you were going to do in front of an audience... then there you go
Best I can do.
As for one that I know for sure, go to the big Onsen area in Matsuyama in Shikoku , I can't remember the name but it is one of the first onsen areas in Japan. I went in to one there, the one that looks like an old Greek building (can't miss it) and found that they were filled with middle aged men with large body tattoos.
So if you are willing to make a trip down to Shikoku, possibly bath with Yakuza, and do whatever you were going to do in front of an audience... then there you go
Best I can do.vertfille13
後輩
- 16 Feb 2009
- 3
- 0
Hi, I am wondering the same thing. My husband has 2 big tattoos on his arms by the Yakuza and I have a small tattoo from America. We want to go to an onsen. Would it be inappropriate or dangerous for me to go with my husband to this place?
Numark
先輩
- 16 Apr 2005
- 156
- 3
Are you saying "the yakuza" themselves gave your husband tattoos? Is your husband yakuza? I think whether or not anyone with tattoos is let in depends on all kinds of changing factors, who is working, where the onsen is located, etc... I have seen Japanese men with full body irezumi in onsen before...
- 8 Aug 2005
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you would think that if her husband were a made man he would know where to go for a bath...
vertfille13
後輩
- 16 Feb 2009
- 3
- 0
Nooo, he is not Yakuza. However, the style of his tattoo is yakuza. We did end up going to the onsens and asked for the private baths *family bath* and it went well. He is not involved with the yakuza, he just really likes Japanese style tattoos...
I do not understand what you mean by *made man*?? He is a foreigner here and like others does not speak Japanese nor is he apart of the yakuza. The text books do not fill you in on these sorts of questions. This is why I asked but we figured it out and it has been good
Last edited:
- 8 Aug 2005
- 7,316
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"made man" means a member of a mafia. For future reference, there's a big difference between "having tattoos by the yakuza" and "having yakuza-style tattoos."
