Hakone Kowakien Motoyu Mori no Yu
箱根小涌園 元湯 森の湯 · Hakone Onsen
Can you bathe here with a tattoo?
This is the question we built the site around, so we answer it per situation.
Visiting for the day
Tattoos must be covered with a patch in the main baths. A private (kashikiri) bath is also available.
Source: official website · checked 2026-08-28
How it scores
Every onsen on this site is scored on the same five things.
The baths
Indoor bath
Traditional naked-bathing onsen (separate from the swimsuit Yunessun zone).
Open-air bath
Open-air baths in a forest setting.
Private (kashikiri) bath
Private baths 7,000-11,000 yen; time slots 11:00-12:30, 13:00-15:00, 15:30-17:30, 18:00-20:00; advance booking.
A private bath means nobody else is in the water with you — often the practical answer if the shared baths are closed to tattooed guests.
Practical details
- Day visits
- Yes — you can bathe without staying overnight.11:00-20:00 (last entry 19:30)
- Day visit price
- ¥1,500Variable pricing by date tier: adults 1,500 yen (tier A) / 1,700 yen (tier B) / 1,800 yen (tier C). Value recorded is tier A.
- Staying overnight
- No
- Getting there
- Same Kowakien resort site as Yunessun (1297 Ninotaira, Hakone-machi). Reached by Hakone Tozan Bus from Hakone-Yumoto or Odawara Station; no car needed.
- Official website
- www.yunessun.com/morinoyu
Staying nearby
The links below are affiliate links — we may earn a commission if you book through them, at no extra cost to you. It never changes what we list or how we score it.
Why Agoda for Japan: it lists a lot of ryokan and small inns that the Western booking sites never picked up, and it usually prices Japanese properties in yen, so you are not paying a conversion spread on top of the room rate. Worth comparing before you book — the difference on a ryokan is often larger than you would expect.
About the day-pass link: Asoview is the main place day-use onsen in Japan sell entry tickets and discount coupons in advance. It is a Japanese-only site, so use your browser’s translation — you show the ticket on your phone at the door.
Getting in from the airport
The links below are affiliate links — we may earn a commission if you book through them, at no extra cost to you. It never changes what we list or how we score it.
Why not the train: the last leg to an onsen is usually a local bus with nowhere to put a suitcase. A fixed-price car is booked in English and quoted before you travel, tolls and fuel included.
More onsen in and around Hakone
Checked the same way: tattoo policy, private baths and day visits.
