How We Verify

Most travel articles about Japanese ryokan repeat what other websites say. Onsen Verified works differently: we contact each property and label every fact with how and when it was confirmed. This page explains exactly what our labels mean, so you can judge the strength of the information yourself.

Two axes: evidence and freshness

Every fact on a ryokan page carries two labels.

1. How it was confirmed (evidence method)

  • Confirmed in writing by the property — the property answered our written questions by email. Strongest evidence.
  • Confirmed verbally by the property — we phoned the property (in Japanese) and a staff member answered our questions directly.
  • Confirmed from official sources — taken from the property’s or tourism association’s official website.
  • Traveler-reported — reported by travelers but not independently confirmed by us. We treat this as a lead, not a fact.

2. Whether it is still current (claim status)

  • Current — verified and within its reconfirmation window.
  • Needs reconfirmation — the last check is older than our window for that item type. The fact may still be true, but treat it with care.
  • Conflicting information — sources disagree (for example, the official website says one thing and staff said another). We show the conflict instead of picking a side.
  • Not yet verified — we haven’t checked this item. We’d rather show a gap than fill it with guesses.

Reconfirmation windows

Policies change, so verified facts expire. Our current windows: tattoo policies and bath details — 6 months; payment and English support — 9 months; access details — 12 months. When a fact passes its window, its label switches to “Needs reconfirmation” automatically.

What we ask each property

We confirm, item by item: tattoo policy for the communal bath, the private (kashikiri) bath and in-room baths separately; whether private and in-room baths actually use hot spring water (and how the water is treated — heated, diluted, circulated, disinfected); English support; which international credit cards are accepted; and access from the nearest station.

What we don’t do

  • We do not present properties we haven’t stayed at as personal stay reviews. Pages based on property confirmation are labeled as policy-verified guides.
  • We do not call a bath “natural onsen” without knowing how the water is used. Heated or circulated hot spring water is still onsen — but tap water is not, and we say so.
  • We do not mark a whole property as “verified”. Verification is per item.

Found an error?

Policies change without notice. If your experience differs from what we published, please tell us via our Corrections & Removal page — we correct quickly and re-verify with the property.