Ryujin Onsen Motoyu - A Tattoo-Friendly Hot Spring in Tanabe, Wakayama

The road narrows for the last twenty minutes. Past the final tunnel, the Hidaka River gorge drops below and the village appears — a handful of buildings along the water, steam rising from somewhere you can't quite see yet. Ryujin Onsen Motoyu sits at the end of that drive, a three-story wooden bathhouse that has been the only public soak in this valley for over a thousand years.

The water here is the draw. Ryujin is one of Japan's Three Beauty Waters — a spring famous for leaving skin noticeably softer and slicker after a single soak. The small hinoki tub runs source-flowing at 48°C, untouched. The larger bath and the rotenburo are a few degrees cooler. Most visitors work between the two, then step outside to the open-air bath overlooking the river gorge.

If you're driving the Koya-Ryujin Skyline between Koyasan and the coast, this is the stop worth building your route around. Tattooed guests bathe openly here — confirmed across reviews spanning several years, with no covers or patches required.

• One of Japan's Three Beauty Waters: The spring leaves skin slippery and smooth from the first soak — a silky, almost oily texture that gets stronger the longer you stay. It's the reason people drive an hour into the mountains.
• Tattoos Accepted, No Questions: Reviews from 2020 through 2025 confirm tattooed guests bathe in all areas openly. One guest confirmed directly with front desk staff that tattoos are permitted.
• Source-Flowing Hinoki Tub: The smaller cypress wood bath runs pure kakenagashi — unheated, unfiltered spring water straight from the source at 48°C. The purest version of the water.
• Koya-Ryujin Skyline Midpoint: Positioned on the mountain highway between Koyasan and the Wakayama coast — a natural stop on one of Japan's best driving routes.

The water catches you first. Step in and your skin goes slick — a silky, almost oily texture that's the signature of Ryujin's spring. The small hinoki tub runs hot at 48°C, source-flowing and untouched. It's the purest version of the water and worth the heat. The larger indoor bath sits a couple of degrees cooler, easier for longer soaks.

Outside, the rotenburo overlooks the Hidaka River gorge. River sound fills the space. Women's baths on the third floor get three pools including the outdoor section with forest and river views. The building is old, the changing rooms functional rather than polished — this is a communal bathhouse that's been here for centuries, not a resort. What you come for is the water itself, and it delivers.