About the author
Emi Kato
Emi focuses on the practical side of onsen travel: how to book a private bath, where tattoos are welcome, what a day visit costs, and when to go to avoid the crowds. She calls ahead to confirm tattoo policies before publishing them, checks prices and travel times against current booking data, and dates every policy claim so readers know how fresh it is. She does not accept sponsored placements, and no operator pays for a mention on this site. When a rule changes, the page that cites it is updated, and the change is logged on the dataset page. Her guides are written for English-speaking travelers planning their first or fifth trip to Japan, and she returns to the onsen towns covered here regularly to keep the facts current. If you are planning a first soak, the guides below are a good place to start.
Emi Kato has spent 12 years documenting Japan's onsen culture. She's visited over 200 hot springs across the country, from Hokkaido to Kyushu, and specializes in helping foreign travelers navigate Japan's complex bathing etiquette and tattoo policies.
Every policy claim on this site names its source, and prices and travel times come from current booking data and published operator information. When a policy changes, the page that cites it is updated with a new as-of date; the dataset page carries the full ledger.