Kotan Onsen (Kotan-no-yu)
コタン温泉 コタンの湯43°34′ N 144°21′ EWildFreeTattoos welcome
Kotan-no-yu is a free rock pool on the beach at Lake Kussharo, split by a boulder into men's and women's halves and open all night.
Photo pakku · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 3.0 and others, credited in the gallery
Know before you bathe
Free and unstaffed, with no posted tattoo rule. Swimsuits allowed. Posted rules ban camping and eating or drinking in the bath, and ask for quiet at night.
Getting there
On the southeast shore of Lake Kussharo in Kotan village, off Route 52.
Kotan-no-yu sits right on the beach of Lake Kussharo in the Ainu village of Kotan, and you can soak in it at any hour for nothing. A big rock splits the pool into men's and women's halves, each with its own changing room, though nothing screens the pool from the shore, so anyone walking along the beach can see in.
The water is a clear sodium bicarbonate spring that flows in straight from the source. The owner of a craft shop in the village looks after it and keeps it clean. Swimsuits are allowed.
Signs ask you to keep the noise down at night, and camping or eating in the bath is off limits. The Ainu folk museum in the same village closes for the winter.
Quick answers about Kotan Onsen (Kotan-no-yu)よくある質問
Can you bathe at Kotan Onsen (Kotan-no-yu) with tattoos?
Yes. Kotan Onsen (Kotan-no-yu) welcomes bathers with tattoos.
Can you visit Kotan Onsen (Kotan-no-yu) without staying the night?
Yes. Anyone may bathe at Kotan Onsen (Kotan-no-yu), and entry is free.
What are the opening hours of Kotan Onsen (Kotan-no-yu)?
Kotan Onsen (Kotan-no-yu): open around the clock except for cleaning, on Fridays until 16:00 from November to April.
How much does Kotan Onsen (Kotan-no-yu) cost?
Kotan Onsen (Kotan-no-yu) is free to visit.
Within 25 km
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