What the 8 stays we checked in Fukuoka Prefecture publish about tattoos, researched on each stay's official site (exceptions labelled) with the evidence on the stay's own page. Data checked 11 Oct 2026 – 17 Oct 2026.
Photo 1 of 9: Harazuru Onsen on the Chikugo River, Asakura
Photo 2 of 9: Nakasu at night, Fukuoka
Photo 3 of 9: Naka River at night, Hakata
Photo 4 of 9: Fukuoka Tower at night, Seaside Momochi
Photo 5 of 9: Chikugo River at Harazuru Onsen
Photo 6 of 9: Chikugo River from Esonoshuku Bridge, Asakura
Photo 7 of 9: Yamada Weir on the Chikugo River, Asakura
Photo 8 of 9: Canal boat among willows, Yanagawa
Photo 9 of 9: Moored canal boats, Yanagawa4 of the 8 stays we checked publish a rule that lets tattooed guests bathe (verified — 1 of them only if a sticker covers the tattoo). Of the rest, 2 publish a no-tattoo rule and for 2 we found no published tattoo rule.
Written rules first: the stay itself (or its operator) says tattooed guests may use the shared bath, may use it if the tattoo is covered, or may use a private hot-spring bath. Then the stays that list a hot-spring private bath but say nothing about tattoos — that one is our inference.
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Card photos: each inn's own official website (credited and linked on its page) · About these photos
In brief: From Fukuoka Prefecture's tourism database (Crossroad Fukuoka), “tattoo acceptance” entry. The entry is for the whole facility. The same database lists a private bath and rooms with an open-air bath.
Prefecture / tourism-bureau database · checked 11 Oct 2026
In brief: Must fit under one sticker · small tattoos only · the rule doesn't say who supplies stickers — ask the inn. Our note: From Fukuoka Prefecture's tourism database (Crossroad Fukuoka), “tattoo acceptance” entry. A small tattoo covered by one small piece of foundation tape is OK.
Prefecture / tourism-bureau database · checked 11 Oct 2026
In brief: Asked about the large shared bath, the inn's FAQ assistant says guests with tattoos are asked not to bathe and points them to its two private open-air baths, Takimi no Yu and Keiryu no Yu (50 minutes, 2,000 yen, booking ahead required). This replaces the prefecture database entry, which did not say which bath it covered.
Private hot-spring bath
Inn's FAQ assistant on its official website · checked 17 Oct 2026
In brief: Large shared baths: guests with tattoos are refused, per the inn's FAQ assistant, which points them to the inn's private family baths instead. This replaces the prefecture database entry, which did not say which bath it covered.
Private hot-spring bath
Inn's FAQ assistant on its official website · checked 17 Oct 2026
None of the stays without a published rule lists a hot-spring private bath.
These 2 stays publish a rule that does not permit tattoos. Under each name: which baths the rule covers, what we found about a private bath, and whether the ban goes further. A listed private bath is not a yes — the inn has not said tattooed guests may use it, so ask.
From Fukuoka Prefecture's tourism database (Crossroad Fukuoka), “tattoo acceptance” entry. The entry is for the whole facility and does not…
The cited rule does not permit tattoos — see the stay page for which baths it covers. The source does not say whether the ban covers only the baths or the whole stay. Lists a private bath (not hot-spring water); not stated whether tattooed guests may use it.
The cited rule does not permit tattoos — see the stay page for which baths it covers. Private bath: not recorded.
For these 2 stays we found no published tattoo rule on the official site (or found no official site). That is not proof the stay has no rule — and no rule found is not a yes.
Lists a private bath, but not stated to be hot-spring water
Each stay's page has a polite Japanese message you can copy and send before booking — or read our guide on asking.
How to ask a ryokan →A schematic of the 8 stays above, by status. Every stay on it is also in the lists above.
Each pin sits in the free spot nearest its position in our data, so none overlap. Not a street map.
This page covers Fukuoka Prefecture in northern Kyushu, not one onsen town: the stays we list here are spread across several separate towns and cities.
Among them are Futsukaichi Onsen (Chikushino), Harazuru Onsen on the Chikugo River (Asakura), Chikugogawa Onsen (Ukiha), Funagoya Onsen (Chikugo) and Wakita Onsen (Miyawaka), plus stays in Fukuoka City and Yanagawa — so check which town a stay is in.
It depends on the stay, not the area. 4 of the 8 stays we checked in Fukuoka Prefecture publish a rule that lets tattooed guests bathe. Of the 8 stays:
1 stay publishes a rule that lets tattooed guests into the shared bath; the conditions each one states:
1 more allows it only if a sticker covers the tattoo (next question).
Yes: 1 stay publishes a rule that lets tattooed guests into the shared bath if the tattoo is covered. The requirement each one states:
2 stays publish a rule that lets tattooed guests use a private bath:
2 stays we checked here publish a no-tattoo rule (listed above). Of the others, 4 stays here publish a rule that lets tattooed guests bathe. You can ask a stay before booking: each stay's page has a polite Japanese message to copy, and our guide explains how — How to ask a ryokan about tattoos (Japanese text). Other options: Refused for tattoos: what to do.
Not necessarily. 2 stays we checked in Fukuoka Prefecture have official sites where we found no published tattoo rule (listed above). No rule found is not a yes: ask the stay before you book — How to ask a ryokan about tattoos (Japanese text).
The Tattoo Onsen Japan editors researched each stay's official site for a tattoo rule and quote what it says on the stay's page (exceptions — a prefecture database or an operator's group-wide policy — are labelled there). For 1 stay here we could not find an official site; its page says so. The 8 stays in Fukuoka Prefecture were checked 11 Oct 2026 – 17 Oct 2026. Rules change, so read the stay's page before booking. How we verify.
黒川 · KumamotoKurokawa28 stays checked · 3 verified · 23 possiblePhoto: veroyama from Meguro, Japan (photo page on Wikimedia Commons, opens in a new tab) · CC BY-SA 2.0 (licence, opens in a new tab) · recompressed from the original
由布院 · OitaYufuin25 stays checked · 2 verified · 16 possiblePhoto: Miya.m (photo page on Wikimedia Commons, opens in a new tab) · CC BY-SA 3.0 (licence, opens in a new tab) · resized and recompressed from the original
雲仙 · NagasakiUnzen11 stays checked · 4 verified · 3 possiblePhoto: 663highland (photo page on Wikimedia Commons, opens in a new tab) · CC BY 2.5 (licence, opens in a new tab) · resized and recompressed from the original
別府 · OitaBeppu15 stays checked · 4 verified · 7 possiblePhoto: FIND/47 project (photographer not named) (photo page on Wikimedia Commons, opens in a new tab) · CC BY 4.0 (licence, opens in a new tab) · resized and recompressed from the originalResearched by the Tattoo Onsen Japan editors from each stay's official site (exceptions — a prefecture database or an operator's group-wide policy — are labelled on the stay's page). Data checked 11 Oct 2026 – 17 Oct 2026. English translations are ours.
Rules change. Before booking, read the stay's page and, if in doubt, ask the stay. How we verify →