OnsenQuest

Prefectures / Gunma

Sainokawara Rotenburo

草津温泉 西の河原露天風呂 · Kusatsu Onsen

Tattoos OK (day visit)

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

Yes — tattoos are fine here

Tattoos are accepted in the main baths.

Source: official website · checked 2026-08-29

How it scores

Every onsen on this site is scored on the same five things.

ViewWaterComfortSettingAccess

Rated from research

View4
Water4
Comfort3.5
Setting4
Access4
×Somewhere to sitBathe and leave
Anything else nearbyIn the middle of things

The one bath in Kusatsu where you are sitting in the open with forest on all sides rather than looking at a wall, and the sheer size means it rarely feels packed even when busy. Marked down on comfort and rest facilities because there is no washing area at all and nowhere to sit afterwards. Reached on foot through a park, so it feels further out of town than it is.

Scored from official photos, maps and transport information — not from a visit.

The baths

Open-air bath

One enormous open-air bath, split into a men's and a women's side, 500 square metres in total and among the largest in Japan; it holds around a hundred bathers. Water is from the Bandai source. There is NO washing area and no shampoo here: the changing rooms are all the facilities there are, so wash elsewhere first if you want to. Every Friday 17:30-20:00 the men's side becomes mixed bathing (swimwear or a towel wrap is worn), except on set dates.

Open to day visitors

Practical details

Day visits
Yes — you can bathe without staying overnight.
1 Apr-30 Nov 7:00-20:00, 1 Dec-31 Mar 9:00-20:00 (last entry 19:30 year-round)
Day visit price
¥800
Adults 800 yen, children 400 yen; holders of a disability certificate pay half. On the second Wednesday of most months the bath closes early at 17:00 (last entry 16:30) for tub cleaning.
Staying overnight
No
Getting there
About a 12-minute walk from the Yubatake through Sainokawara Park, a stone-paved promenade past small shrines and steaming ground; the surrounding area is a special zone of Joshinetsu-kogen National Park. Free parking at Tengu-yama No.1 car park (300 spaces). Reach Kusatsu by JR bus (about 25 minutes) from Naganohara-Kusatsuguchi Station.
Official website
onsen-kusatsu.com/sainokawara

Visit the official website ↗

Staying nearby