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Illustration of Gamagori on a summer morning: the long footbridge to wooded Takeshima island across the calm blue water of Mikawa Bay
Aichi · about 45 min from Nagoya · Onsen towns

Tattoo friendly onsen in Gamagori

Gamagori is the seaside onsen town of Mikawa Bay, three quarters of an hour from Nagoya, with springs at Miya, at Gamagori itself and out on the Nishiura peninsula. Tennomaru, on its hilltop, says on its bath page that tattooed guests may bathe. Hiranoya in Miya Onsen lets tattooed guests into its baths from 9 to 11 p.m. only. The other inns are listed for a private bath or a room with a tub of its own.

2 properties

No restrictions

Tattoos are welcome in every bath. Nothing to cover, nothing to book. What this means

Illustration of Tennomaru in Mount Tobone, 380 meters above Gamagori, 20 minutes by shuttle from Gamagori Station (the address is in Kota town)
Mount Tobone, 380 meters above Gamagori, 20 minutes by shuttle from Gamagori Station (the address is in Kota town) Hilltop ryokan hotel (Kaiei Ryokans group; view open-air baths of spring water, two private open-air baths, rooms with their own open-air tub) ★★★★☆ Confirmed

Tennomaru

天の丸

The inn's bath page lists tattoos as allowed in the baths, with no cover asked for and no hours attached. That line sits under the list of every bath in the building: the two view open-air baths, the two large baths and the two private open-air baths. The baths are for staying guests only at present.

タトゥー・入れ墨の入浴可

Best for: bathing with tattoos uncovered in an open-air tub that looks down on Gamagori and Mikawa Bay at night

Only the open-air baths carry hot spring water: the view open-air baths Southern Cross and Swan Cross on the 4th floor and the two private open-air baths. The inn says its large baths, Mikawa-no-yu and Aoi-no-yu in the basement, are not hot spring water, and that the open-air tubs in the Geshokyu rooms are not hot spring water either. Private open-air baths: 45 minutes for 3,300 yen, by reservation, 3 to 10 p.m. Day-use bathing is suspended for now.

Tennomaru tattoo policy → See details and book
Illustration of Hiranoya Ryokan & Sauna in Miya Onsen, on the hill above Mikawa-Miya Station, 3 minutes by car from Laguna Ten Bosch
Miya Onsen, on the hill above Mikawa-Miya Station, 3 minutes by car from Laguna Ten Bosch Ryokan (82 rooms; three bath halls, Finnish saunas, two private saunas, rooms with a half-open-air bath) ★★★☆☆ Confirmed

Hiranoya Ryokan & Sauna

平野屋

Tattooed guests may use the large baths here for two hours a night only, from 9 to 11 p.m., with nothing to cover. Outside those hours the baths stay closed to tattoos. The inn bars groups: three or more tattooed bathers in one party may not bathe together, and members of crime groups are refused. Anyone who troubles other guests or staff is asked to leave, tattooed or not.

ダイバーシティの価値観の高まりにより、PM9：00~PM11：00に限定して刺青の入ったお客様の入浴を解禁いたします。

Best for: a late-evening soak with tattoos uncovered at an old Miya Onsen inn, then a self-poured sauna

The rule sits with three prohibitions on the hot spring page: no members of organized crime groups, no group use by tattooed guests (three or more in one group may not bathe), and removal of anyone who bothers others. The inn's English notice, signed by its president, puts it as all guests including those with tattoos being able to use the public bath from 9:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. The baths are open 5:30 a.m. to midnight. Day visitors pay 3,000 yen on weekdays and 4,000 yen on weekends and holidays, towels included, 5:30 to 9:30 a.m. and 2 to 11 p.m. Private sauna rooms are 90 minutes, booked ahead. All rooms are non-smoking since June 2024.

Hiranoya Ryokan & Sauna tattoo policy → See details and book
9 properties

Private onsen and baths in Gamagori

Tattoos are fine in a private onsen, whether a bath you reserve or one in your room. The communal baths are restricted, or the policy is unconfirmed. What this means

Illustration of Shunkei Roman Gimpaso in Nishiura Onsen, on the shore of the Nishiura peninsula beside Palm Beach, 8 minutes by shuttle from Nishiura Station
Nishiura Onsen, on the shore of the Nishiura peninsula beside Palm Beach, 8 minutes by shuttle from Nishiura Station Ryokan (47 rooms in three wings; private open-air baths on the top floor, rooms with their own open-air bath) ★★★☆☆ Confirmed

Shunkei Roman Gimpaso

旬景浪漫 銀波荘

The inn answers the tattoo question by pointing to its private open-air baths: there, it says, guests with tattoos can bathe without a second thought. It gives no permission for the large baths, so plan on the private baths or a room with its own tub. The private baths are on the top floor, 50 minutes at 1,100 yen a person for staying guests.

タトゥー・刺青があっても温泉に入れますか？貸切露天風呂でしたら、タトゥー・刺青がある方も気兼ねなくご利用いただけます。3つの貸切露天風呂をご用意しております。

Best for: a private open-air bath over Mikawa Bay at sunset, booked at the desk on the day

The inn says its private open-air baths and its room baths are not hot spring water; only the large baths on the 3rd floor carry the spring. Staying guests book a private bath at the front desk after arriving, not ahead: 50 minutes, 1,100 yen a person, 3 to 10:40 p.m. and 6:45 to 7:50 a.m. Day visitors book ahead through the reservation center: 2,200 yen a person for 50 minutes with towels, 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., or 1,700 yen with lunch. Rooms with an open-air bath are in all three wings, among them the detached Kochuan suites.

Shunkei Roman Gimpaso tattoo policy → See details and book
Illustration of Wa no Resort Hazu in Nishiura Onsen, on the hill at the tip of the Nishiura peninsula, reached by the inns' shared microbus from Nishiura Station
Nishiura Onsen, on the hill at the tip of the Nishiura peninsula, reached by the inns' shared microbus from Nishiura Station Resort ryokan (Hazu group; a reservable private open-air bath and three rooms with their own open-air bath) ★★★☆☆ Confirmed

Wa no Resort Hazu

和のリゾート はづ

The inn says guests with tattoos may use the private bath only, which closes its shared open-air bath and large bath to them. The private open-air bath is reserved for 45 minutes at 2,750 yen, and day visitors can book it as well. Three guest rooms have an open-air bath of their own on a deck above the sea.

また、刺青・タトゥーがある方は貸切り風呂のみのご利用となります。

Best for: a reserved open-air tub with a sea view that the inn itself names for tattooed bathers

The inn states that the private open-air bath is not natural hot spring water, and that the open-air baths in the three guest rooms (Hagoromo, Shirotae and Surusumi) are not hot spring water either. Private bath: 45 minutes, 2,750 yen, starting on the hour from 3 to 9 p.m.; day visitors may start between 3 and 6 p.m. and must book ahead. The shared open-air bath, which does carry the spring, is closed Monday until 3 p.m. for maintenance and the large bath Thursday until 3 p.m. All rooms are non-smoking.

Wa no Resort Hazu tattoo policy → See details and book
Illustration of Kaze no Tani no Iori in Mount Tobone, in the woods beside Tennomaru above Gamagori, 20 minutes by shuttle from Gamagori Station (the address is in Kota town)
Mount Tobone, in the woods beside Tennomaru above Gamagori, 20 minutes by shuttle from Gamagori Station (the address is in Kota town) Ryokan of nine detached rooms (Kaiei Ryokans group; every room has its own hot spring open-air bath) ★★★★½ Bath layout confirmed, tattoo policy not published

Kaze no Tani no Iori

風の谷の庵

The inn publishes no tattoo rule, and the bathing here does not depend on one: all nine rooms are detached houses with their own open-air bath of hot spring water. You bathe on your own terrace at any hour. The one shared facility, a bedrock bath and jacuzzi house, is rented whole to one party at a time.

Best for: couples who want a detached house in the woods with a spring-fed tub on the terrace and meals served in the room

All nine rooms have a hot spring open-air bath and a separate shower booth; the inn says the shower booths are not hot spring water. The suite also has a barrel sauna and a cold plunge on its deck. The rest house Kira holds a private bedrock bath and a private jacuzzi, used by one party for 90 minutes; the jacuzzi is not hot spring water. Check-in is from 2 p.m., and the last check-in is 6 p.m.

Kaze no Tani no Iori tattoo policy → See details and book
Illustration of Hotel Takeshima in Gamagori Onsen, on the shore facing Takeshima island, reached by the hotel's shuttle from Gamagori Station
Gamagori Onsen, on the shore facing Takeshima island, reached by the hotel's shuttle from Gamagori Station Seaside hotel (82 rooms; guest rooms with a hot spring open-air bath, large baths and open-air baths on the bay) ★★★☆☆ Bath layout confirmed, tattoo policy not published

Hotel Takeshima

ホテル竹島

The hotel publishes no tattoo rule for its large baths, and its FAQ says it has no private bath to reserve. What it does have is a set of guest rooms with their own open-air bath of hot spring water, so a tattooed guest can book one of those and bathe in the room.

Best for: a room with its own spring-fed tub looking straight at Takeshima island

Book the room type the hotel sells as a room with a natural hot spring open-air bath, in types A and B, renewed in February 2024. The half-open-air bath rooms on the top floor are a different type, and the hotel says their baths are not hot spring water. No private bath can be reserved. Day visitors may use the large baths from noon to 4 p.m. for 1,600 yen with a tea voucher.

Hotel Takeshima tattoo policy → See details and book
Illustration of Sunhills Mikawawan in Miya Onsen, on the hillside above Mikawa-Miya Station, 7 minutes by taxi
Miya Onsen, on the hillside above Mikawa-Miya Station, 7 minutes by taxi Small hotel (21 rooms; three suites with their own view hot spring bath) ★★★☆☆ Bath layout confirmed, tattoo policy not published

Sunhills Mikawawan

サンヒルズ三河湾

The hotel publishes no tattoo rule for its large bath. Three of its 21 rooms are suites with a view bath of hot spring water inside the room, and those are the rooms a tattooed guest should book. Guests in the other rooms have the large bath only.

Best for: a small, quiet hotel where one of three suites gives you a spring-fed tub over Gamagori and the bay

The three suites are the Mikawa Bay View Modern Suite Hinoki (a cypress tub), the Modern Suite Shigaraki (a Shigaraki pottery pot tub) and the Mikawa Bay View Suite. The hotel says the ten-mat, eight-mat and twin Japanese rooms use the large bath only. Large bath hours are 3:30 p.m. to midnight and 6 to 9:30 a.m. Day visitors are admitted 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. for 700 yen, bath tax included, with irregular closing days.

Sunhills Mikawawan tattoo policy → See details and book
Illustration of Nishiura Grand Hotel Kikkei in Nishiura Onsen, one minute on foot from Palm Beach, 5 minutes by shuttle from Nishiura Station
Nishiura Onsen, one minute on foot from Palm Beach, 5 minutes by shuttle from Nishiura Station Ryokan hotel (37 rooms; a special room with a half-open-air bath and Japanese rooms with their own open-air bath) ★★★☆☆ Bath layout confirmed, tattoo policy not published

Nishiura Grand Hotel Kikkei

西浦グランドホテル 吉慶

The hotel publishes no tattoo rule for its shared baths and has no private bath to reserve. Its answer for a tattooed guest is a room with a bath of its own: the special room Wan on the 6th floor has a half-open-air bath, and the premium ocean-view Japanese rooms have an open-air bath on the terrace.

Best for: a terrace tub over the palm-lined beach at Nishiura, in a room of your own

Two room types have their own bath: the special room Wan (6th floor, 90 square meters, up to six guests, half-open-air bath) and the premium ocean-view Japanese rooms with an open-air bath. The hotel does not say whether these room tubs carry spring water. The shared top-floor baths alternate: the view open-air bath is for men from 3 to 8 p.m. and for women from 8 p.m. to 9 a.m., and the view bath beside it runs the other way. Day visitors may use the 2nd-floor large baths from 3 to 6 p.m. for 1,100 yen with a face towel.

Nishiura Grand Hotel Kikkei tattoo policy → See details and book
Illustration of Tenku Kaiyu no Yado Suehiro in Nishiura Onsen, on the high ground of the Nishiura peninsula, about 10 minutes by shuttle from Nishiura Station
Nishiura Onsen, on the high ground of the Nishiura peninsula, about 10 minutes by shuttle from Nishiura Station Ryokan in three buildings (two private open-air baths, rooms with their own open-air bath, a rooftop open-air bath) ★★★☆☆ Bath layout confirmed, tattoo policy not published

Tenku Kaiyu no Yado Suehiro

天空海遊の宿 末広

The inn publishes no tattoo rule for its shared baths. It has two private open-air baths, Sora and Umi, reserved for 45 minutes at 2,500 yen a room, and guest rooms with an open-air bath of their own. Day visitors can book a private bath too, on top of the day-use fee.

Best for: a 45-minute private open-air bath at sunset on the Nishiura headland, on a weekend

The inn says only the open-air tubs inside its two large baths carry the hot spring; everything else, including the private open-air baths, the rooftop bath and the open-air baths and foot baths in guest rooms, is ordinary heated water. Private baths: 45 minutes, 2,500 yen a room, 3 to 11:15 p.m. and 7 to 9 a.m. for guests, by reservation by phone up to the day before or at the front desk on the day. Day visitors pay the 1,500 yen day-use fee plus the private bath fee, 11:30 a.m. to 3:15 p.m. The inn is closed Tuesday to Thursday except in Golden Week, Obon and the New Year holidays.

Tenku Kaiyu no Yado Suehiro tattoo policy → See details and book
Illustration of Hotel Tokaien in Nishiura Onsen, on the highest ground of the Nishiura peninsula, above the swimming beach
Nishiura Onsen, on the highest ground of the Nishiura peninsula, above the swimming beach Large ryokan hotel (three private open-air baths for staying guests, rooms with their own open-air bath) ★★★★☆ Bath layout confirmed, tattoo policy not published

Hotel Tokaien

ホテル東海園

The hotel publishes no tattoo rule for its large baths. It has three private open-air baths, reserved by phone for 50 minutes at 4,400 yen, and guest rooms with an open-air bath of their own. The private baths are kept for staying guests except on certain days.

Best for: families who want a roomy private open-air bath facing the sunset over Mikawa Bay

Private open-air baths: three, 50 minutes for 4,400 yen, last start 10 p.m., first start 4 p.m., booked by phone; if every slot is taken there is no waiting list. Rooms with an open-air bath come in one-room and two-room layouts. The large baths and open-air baths, one side each for men and women, swap by time so guests can try both.

Hotel Tokaien tattoo policy → See details and book
Illustration of Himeyado Hanakazashi in Nishiura Onsen, on the hill of the Nishiura peninsula, reached by the inns' shared bus from Nishiura Station
Nishiura Onsen, on the hill of the Nishiura peninsula, reached by the inns' shared bus from Nishiura Station Small ryokan hotel (16 rooms, adults and children of 12 and over; suites and Japanese rooms with their own open-air bath) ★★★☆☆ Bath layout confirmed, tattoo policy not published

Himeyado Hanakazashi

姫宿 花かざし

The inn publishes no tattoo rule for its two large baths and says they cannot be reserved for private use. A handful of rooms have an open-air bath of their own, and those are the ones for a tattooed guest: the two Japanese-modern suites, the panorama Japanese room, the Japanese-style suite and the Japanese-style VIP room.

Best for: couples or women traveling together who want a 16-room inn and a suite with its own open-air tub over the bay

The inn states that the private open-air baths in its suites and its VIP room are not hot spring water. The suites also have a separate shower booth. The two large baths, which carry the Bihakusen spring, swap between men and women the next day and are open 3 to 11 p.m. and 6 to 9 a.m. The inn does not accept children under 12. It was a women-only inn until September 1, 2023, and now calls itself a women-first inn that men may use too.

Himeyado Hanakazashi tattoo policy → See details and book
Traveler’s note

Read Hiranoya’s rule before you book it: the baths are open to tattoos for two hours a night, 9 to 11 p.m., and a party with three or more tattooed bathers is refused. At Tennomaru the large baths are heated plain water; the spring is in the open-air tubs on the fourth floor. Hotel Meizanso refuses tattooed guests and is not listed, and Mikawa Kaiyokaku allows only a single small tattoo and has no private bath.

Getting there

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Common questions

Gamagori questions

Can I use a shared bath in Gamagori with a tattoo?

At Tennomaru, yes, with nothing to cover and no hours attached. At Hiranoya, only from 9 to 11 p.m., and not in a group of three or more tattooed bathers. No other inn here publishes a rule that lets tattoos into a shared bath.

Which inns have a private bath?

Gimpaso and Wa no Resort Hazu in Nishiura name their private baths as the place for tattooed guests. Suehiro rents two private open-air baths at ¥2,500 for 45 minutes and Hotel Tokaien three at ¥4,400 for 50 minutes. Tennomaru has two at ¥3,300 for 45 minutes. Several of these tubs are heated plain water, and each listing says which.

Which inns give a room its own bath?

Kaze no Tani no Iori has nine detached rooms, each with a spring-fed open-air tub, and no shared bath. Hotel Takeshima, Sunhills Mikawawan, Nishiura Grand Hotel Kikkei and Himeyado Hanakazashi sell rooms or suites with a bath of their own.

How do I get to Gamagori?

From Nagoya, take a JR Tokaido line rapid, about 45 minutes. From Tokyo, take the Shinkansen to Toyohashi, about 1 hour 20 minutes on the Hikari, and the Tokaido line back to Gamagori in 10 to 15 minutes. For Nishiura, change at Gamagori to the Meitetsu Gamagori line.

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