Onsen etiquette: the rules, in order

What are the rules of an onsen?

Onsen bathing is typically done nude, and clothing including swimwear stays in the changing area. Before you enter the bath you wash at one of the washing stations in the bathing area.

The rest follows the same order you meet it in, from the changing room to the way out.

Onsen Hopper lists 1,475 onsen that take day visitors; 1,397 state a day-use price and 292 have a private bath, checked 2026-10-30. Browse them on the onsen list or the map. New to onsen? Start with what is an onsen.

• Undress in the changing room; bathing is typically done nude and swimwear stays with your clothes.
• Take off rings and other accessories, because onsen water often contains minerals such as sulfur that may discolour precious metals.
• Tie up long hair or wrap it in a towel.
• Wash at one of the washing stations before entering the bath.
• At the washing station, use the soap and shampoo and rinse off completely.
• Pour water over yourself before getting into the tub, starting at the hands and feet, so your body gets used to the temperature.
• Keep the towel out of the water: fold it and place it on your head or on the side of the bath.
• Do not swim or splash in the water.
• Dry your body and towel-dry your hair before leaving the bathing area.

Do I have to be naked?

Yes, as a rule: onsen bathing is typically done nude, and clothing including swimwear is left in the changing area. Changing rooms are gender specific, as are the vast majority of onsen baths.

The exception is the tiny handful of mixed-gender onsen, where you can wear a swimsuit or some kind of body covering if the bath provides them. Those baths are listed at mixed onsen.

If sharing a bath is the problem, look for a bath with a room of its own at private onsen.

What do I do with the towel and my hair?

The small towel stays out of the water: fold it and place it on your head or on the side of the bath before you get in. Tie up long hair or wrap it in a towel.

Hokkaido Prefecture's bathing notice says it plainly: do not put towels in the bath, so the bath water stays clean. Onsen hotels and more upscale places provide towels and soap, JNTO says, but at a small local sento you bring your own. Bring a second, larger towel for drying off, or check whether the bath rents one.

What should I not do in the bath?

Do not swim or splash in the water. Do not take photos: JNTO's answer to whether you can bring a phone or camera into the onsen is that it is absolutely forbidden, out of consideration for privacy.

JNTO describes onsen as places of peace and quiet. Keep your voice down for the same reason.

Most places have lockers for clothing and valuables, JNTO says. Leave the phone in the locker with your clothes. Rinse your washing station and put the stool and bucket back before you leave it.

How long should I stay in?

Hokkaido Prefecture's bathing notice says it depends on the water temperature, but suggests about 3 to 10 minutes per soak at first, and up to about 15 to 20 minutes once you are used to it. Get out and sit down as soon as you feel too hot.

The same notice says to avoid bathing right before or after a meal, or after drinking alcohol. Rest out of the water between soaks.

What do I do when I get out?

Dry your body and towel-dry your hair before you leave the bathing area. Drink some water and give yourself a few minutes before you dress.

Put rings and accessories back on once you are dry and dressed. Follow the sign on whether to rinse off after the bath.

What about tattoos?

JNTO says the vast majority of onsen still do not allow tattooed guests, though many have begun to relax their rules in recent years. If you have tattoos, check the bath or hotel website or ask the staff before visiting.

Many onsen offer or sell small tattoo cover sheets, which are generally suitable only for very small tattoos. JNTO's other suggestion is to look for tattoo-friendly facilities or book a private bath, a kashikiri-buro. Find them at tattoo-friendly onsen and private onsen.

Sources

1. Japan National Tourism Organization, How to Best Enjoy Japan’s Onsen, checked 2026-10-21
2. Japan National Tourism Organization, ONSEN, checked 2026-10-21
3. Hokkaido Prefecture, 温泉入浴施設において安全に入浴するための注意事項, checked 2026-10-21
4. Japan National Tourism Organization, Let's Go to an Onsen and Enjoy It Like Locals Do, checked 2026-10-21
5. Japan National Tourism Organization, Enjoy Bath Culture in Japan | Blog | Travel Japan (Japan National Tourism Organization), checked 2026-10-21
6. Japan National Tourism Organization, Onsen Hot Springs - On Tattoos and Etiquette | Blog | Travel Japan (Japan National Tourism Organization), checked 2026-10-21