About Onsen Verified

Onsen Verified is an independent, single-operator publication based in Japan. We help travelers book Japanese ryokan and onsen stays without policy surprises — the moment at the front desk when you learn that tattoos aren’t allowed, your card isn’t accepted, or the “private onsen” in your room is actually heated tap water.

Why this site exists

The operator runs a Japanese-language onsen media site and speaks with ryokan daily. Most of the information international travelers need — tattoo rules, what the bath water actually is, whether anyone at the front desk speaks English — either isn’t published in English or is copied between websites without anyone checking it. Being in Japan and working in Japanese, we can simply call the property and ask. So that’s what we do.

Independence

Properties do not pay to be listed, and listing does not mean we endorse a property or that the property endorses us. Some pages contain affiliate booking links, disclosed on each page and explained in our Affiliate Disclosure. Affiliate relationships never change what we publish: if a property’s answer is “no tattoos, cash only”, that is what the page says.

How to read our pages

Every fact is labeled with its verification method and date — see How We Verify. Pages based on property confirmation are policy-verified guides, not personal stay reviews, and are labeled as such.

Contact

Corrections, questions, and property inquiries: see Contact. Ryokan staff are welcome to write to us in Japanese — 日本語のページはこちらです。