Ink & Steam Japan is a small, Japan-based project with one job: answer the question "I have tattoos — can I actually use this onsen?" with evidence, not vibes.
Our rule is simple. A bath appears on this site as "tattoo-friendly" only when the facility, its operator, or its town says so in an official place we can link to — a policy page, an FAQ, or official tourism guidance. Where a famous bath has no official policy, we say exactly that, and separate what reviewers report from what is guaranteed. We would rather lose a page than dress up a rumour as a promise.
Everything is researched from official sources and published English-language reviews; prices and policies carry the date we checked them, and policies do change — the facility's own page always wins. Where we summarise visitor reviews, we name the platform and keep quotes short and attributed. We never invent testimonials.
Photos on this site are stock images from Pexels, used under the Pexels License, unless a caption says otherwise. They are illustrative and are not presented as photos of the specific baths or inns named in the text.