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
The tattoo policy is not stated publicly. Please contact the facility.
How it scores
Every onsen on this site is scored on the same five things.
The baths
Indoor bath
A free communal bath at the foot of the Hagi Bridge, where the Shima River and the Arayu River meet. The outside, the inner walls and the tub are all stone, which gives it the feel of a cave bath. Above the bathhouse is a small park, a good place to cool off afterwards.
Practical details
- Day visits
- Yes — you can bathe without staying overnight.9:00-15:00, open every day
- Day visit price
- FreeFree, but note the short window - it closes at 15:00. It is a kyodo-yokujo run for residents: no attendant, no soap, no lockers. Bring your own towel and leave valuables behind.
- Staying overnight
- No
- Getting there
- Near the terminus of the bus route into Shima Onsen, at the foot of the Hagi Bridge. From JR Nakanojo Station take the Kan-Etsu Kotsu bus about 40 minutes to the Shima Onsen terminus.
- Official website
- nakanojo-kanko.jp/shima/hotsprings/kawaranoyu
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.
What we have not confirmed
We would rather show a gap than guess.
- The tattoo policy for day visits is not stated on the official website.
More onsen in and around Shima
Checked the same way: tattoo policy, private baths and day visits.