Japan Onsen Towel Guide: What to Bring and Where to Put It

JGO! editorial team — WEBMARKS Inc. (Fujisawa, Kanagawa)

Take a small towel into the bathing area, but keep it out of the bath water. Before returning to the changing room, use it to wipe excess water from your body; a larger bath towel, if you have one, can be used in the changing room. What a facility sells or rents—and how much it charges—varies, so check its own guidance before you go.

This guide explains how to use and manage your towels through a visit, compares two named facilities’ towel arrangements, and answers common first-visit questions. The examples are specific to those facilities: Hakone’s Tenzan Toji-kyo and Kyoto’s Sagano Onsen Tenzan-no-yu are different businesses, so do not assume that one’s prices, payment arrangements or rules apply to the other.

The basic towel routine at an onsen

Start in the changing room. Put your clothes and belongings in an assigned locker or basket, and take one small towel with you into the bathing area. The Kyoto Onsen Tourism Council advises using no more than one locker or basket per person; its guidance also describes removing underwear and swimwear for the bathing process it sets out. Follow the signs and instructions at the facility you are visiting, since the council’s guidance is not a substitute for that facility’s own rules.

At the washing area, wash your body and hair in the designated space, not in the bath. Rinse soap off thoroughly before you enter the water. The Japan Association of Secluded Hot Spring Inns also advises rinsing with hot water before getting into the bath and entering slowly, rather than stepping in abruptly. Its practical bathing guidance covers the sequence from washing to returning to the changing room: How to bathe.

Keep your small towel out of the bath water, whether it has been used or is still clean. The Kyoto council specifically says not to immerse even an unused towel, and the Koto public-bath association also says not to enter the bath with a towel wrapped around your body. The towel may accompany you in the bathing area, but it is not for soaking, scrubbing or covering yourself in the tub.

When you have finished bathing, use the small towel to wipe excess water from your body before stepping back into the changing room. This helps avoid carrying excess water across the changing area. If you brought or rented a larger towel, use it in the way the facility describes; at Hakone’s Tenzan Toji-kyo, for example, the bath towel is described as an item for use in the changing room.

Small towels and bath towels have different jobs

A small towel is the one to take into the bathing area. The Kyoto Onsen Tourism Council recommends one small towel for that purpose. Use it to wipe yourself before returning to the changing room, while keeping it out of the bath water throughout the visit.

A larger bath towel is a separate item. At Hakone’s Tenzan Toji-kyo, the facility recommends bringing a face towel, says a hand towel is required for wiping before returning to the changing room, and describes the bath towel as something to use in the changing room. It also says that one tenugui—a Japanese hand towel—can be enough. These are that facility’s instructions, not a universal rule about how many towels every onsen requires.

There is no nationwide towel size, colour or fabric specification established by the official sources used for this guide. If you already have a small towel that suits you, do not assume you need to buy a particular type solely for an onsen visit. Check the facility’s own guidance if it gives a specific requirement, and ask at reception if the wording is unclear.

Do not assume that a towel is included in admission. A towel might be something you bring, buy at reception or rent, depending on the facility. Some facilities may also charge extra for items such as towels, soap or shampoo; WELCOME SENTO’s manners guidance notes that these kinds of rentals can involve additional charges. Check what is included before paying rather than relying on another bath’s arrangement.

The accompanying travel and language posts offer additional first-visit context: @kenliew90 shares a Chinese-language infographic about onsen basics, and Astronaut Shiba Inu’s Japanese learn introduces phrases for topics such as towels and lockers. Other accompanying posts introduce hot-spring rules (@sightsandinsights), Japanese public-bath use (Kazue, Your Japanese Guide), trying an onsen in Hokkaido (@heyanderoo), and Japanese bathing culture and manners (@japan.explores). They supplement, rather than replace, the rules posted by the facility you choose.

Bring, buy or rent: check the named facility

Towel arrangements differ from one bath to another. The following examples were checked against facility information on 4 November 2026; confirm current details with the facility before your visit. In particular, the two facilities below have similar names but are separate businesses in different locations.

These figures describe the named facilities’ listed towel or clothing arrangements, not a nationwide standard or an admission price. At Tenzan-no-yu, the ¥250 listing is for a bath towel and face towel rental set; facility clothing is listed separately at ¥350, and the combined clothing-and-towel set is ¥500. Check with the facility about current prices and exactly what each option includes.

At Tenzan Toji-kyo, the guidance recommends bringing a face towel and says towels are sold at reception, but it does not give a sale price in the information checked. It also says payment is basically cash and there is no nearby ATM, so take that into account when planning how to pay. Do not transfer this payment information to Kyoto’s Tenzan-no-yu, which lists both cash and cashless payment.

Ask where to return rented towels before leaving if the return point is not clear. The available information does not establish one return location that applies to every facility. Keep the distinction between a rental and a purchase clear when asking: a rental is provided for the visit, while a towel you buy is a separate purchase.

If you are staying in a hotel, ask whether a room towel may be taken to the bath you plan to visit. The official information available for this guide does not establish a rule that applies to all hotels or all off-site visits. It is safer to check with the hotel than to assume that a towel supplied in your room can be taken elsewhere.

Shared-space manners that affect towel use

Use the towel in the bathing area without putting it into the bath. The Kyoto council explicitly includes unused towels in its instruction not to immerse towels, while the Koto public-bath association says not to use a towel wrapped around the body in the bath. The latter explains that even a towel that looks clean can carry bacteria. Follow the facility’s signs if they give additional instructions about where to leave a towel while soaking.

Keep washing and soaking separate. Wash your body and hair in the designated washing space, rinse away soap, and do not scrub your body in the bath. At the washing area, avoid splashing other people with shower water, and do not reserve a place by leaving toiletries there. The Koto public-bath association’s manners guidance also asks visitors to rinse stools and buckets before returning them and not to take supplied shampoo home.

Keep your belongings together where they will not obstruct others. The Kyoto council advises visitors to use one locker or basket per person, and to gather belongings out of the way. It also advises tying back hair that reaches the shoulders, leaving cameras and phones out of the bathing area, and removing accessories that may rust. Take care on the floor, which can be slippery: do not run, keep your voice low, and do not swim, dive or put objects into the bath.

Facility rules can go beyond general bathing etiquette. The Japan Association of Secluded Hot Spring Inns notes that individual facilities may set additional rules, so check notices on arrival as well as any guidance you read beforehand. This matters particularly if you are unsure about the bathing process, the use of towels or where belongings should go. Do not assume that advice from one named bath applies at another.

Keep the towel and washing area separate

The small towel can travel with you into the bathing area, but the bath itself is for soaking. The Kyoto council’s rule applies even to a towel that has not been used, and the Koto association also prohibits bathing with a towel wrapped around the body. Keep the towel out of the water even if you are not using it at that moment.

Wash in the designated washing area, then rinse away soap thoroughly before entering the bath. If you use a stool or bucket, rinse it and return it as the Koto association requests. Do not leave toiletries behind to claim a washing place, and avoid directing shower water at other bathers.

The towel routine is part of a wider shared-space sequence: store belongings in the changing room, wash at the designated area, soak without putting objects into the bath, and wipe excess water before returning. Keep your belongings out of other people’s way at each stage. If a sign at the facility differs from general guidance, follow the facility’s instructions.

Before returning to the changing room

Before stepping back into the changing room, use your small towel to wipe excess water from your body. Both the Japan Association of Secluded Hot Spring Inns and the Kyoto council include wiping before returning in their bathing guidance. This is the small towel’s practical job at the end of the bathing sequence, even if you have a larger towel to use afterward.

If you brought or rented a bath towel, use it according to the facility’s instructions. Tenzan Toji-kyo describes its bath towel as something to use in the changing room, while requiring a hand towel for wiping before stepping back into that room. Treat this as the Hakone facility’s guidance, not as a rule that establishes towel use at every bath.

For a rental, ask where the facility expects you to return it. The information available here does not establish a shared return point or process across facilities. If you bought a towel, keep it distinct from a rented one and follow the facility’s directions for any borrowed items before you leave.

Questions before your first visit

Can I put a clean, unused towel in the bath?

No, not under the Kyoto Onsen Tourism Council’s stated guidance: it says that even an unused towel must be kept out of the bath water. The Koto public-bath association also says not to enter the bath with a towel wrapped around the body. Keep your small towel outside the water and check the signs at your chosen facility for where to place it while soaking.

How many towels should I bring?

The Kyoto council recommends one small towel for the bathing area. Hakone’s Tenzan Toji-kyo says a hand towel can be enough and describes a bath towel as an item for the changing room. Those are useful examples, but they do not establish a single requirement for every onsen, so check your facility’s instructions before deciding what to pack.

What if I forget my towel?

Ask at reception before entering rather than assuming that every bath sells or rents towels. Tenzan Toji-kyo says it sells towels at reception, while Kyoto’s Tenzan-no-yu lists a bath towel and face towel rental set for ¥250 in the information checked on 4 November 2026. The Hakone facility’s towel sale price was not listed, and prices or availability can change, so ask for the current details.

How much do towel rentals cost?

There is no single price established for all facilities. In the information checked on 4 November 2026, Kyoto Sagano Onsen Tenzan-no-yu listed a bath towel and face towel rental set for ¥250; its facility clothing rental was ¥350, and its clothing-and-towel set was ¥500. Tenzan Toji-kyo in Hakone says it sells towels but does not list a sale price in the information checked, so ask reception rather than applying Kyoto’s prices there.

Where do I return a rented towel?

Ask the facility where to return rented items, particularly if the instructions are not obvious as you leave. The available sources do not establish one return location that applies to all baths. Do not assume that another facility’s return arrangement will be the same.

Can I take my hotel towel to an onsen?

Ask your hotel whether its room towel may be taken to the facility you intend to visit. The information used for this guide does not confirm a rule that applies to all accommodation providers or all off-site baths. If the hotel does not allow it, check with the bath about its own sale or rental arrangements.

How can I ask about rental towels?

At reception, you can ask, “Do you have rental towels?” In Japanese, say 「タオルのレンタルはありますか？」(Taoru no rentaru wa arimasu ka?). If the answer is yes, ask what the set includes, what it costs and where to return the items; facilities do not all list the same options.

A practical packing and arrival check

Before leaving your accommodation, check the chosen bath’s own guidance for towels and payment. Decide whether to bring a small towel, buy one at reception or rent a set, and ask your hotel before taking a room towel off the property. If you are visiting Tenzan Toji-kyo in Hakone, note its guidance that payment is basically cash and that there is no nearby ATM; for Kyoto’s Tenzan-no-yu, the listed information includes cash and cashless payment.

At reception, ask which items are included in admission and which cost extra. A towel set and facility clothing are distinct choices in the Kyoto Tenzan-no-yu price information; neither of those listed rental prices should be mistaken for an admission fee. If you choose a rental, ask where to return it before you go into the bathing area.

In the changing room, store your clothes and belongings in an assigned locker or basket, and keep your small towel with you for the bathing area. Wash at the designated space, rinse soap thoroughly and keep the towel out of the bath. After bathing, wipe excess water from your body before returning to the changing room, then use a larger towel there if you brought or rented one.

The most useful comparison is between the actual options offered at the bath you plan to visit. Bringing a towel means using one you already have; buying and renting are separate arrangements, and the facility may not offer both. Tenzan Toji-kyo in Hakone recommends bringing a face towel and sells towels at reception, while Kyoto’s Tenzan-no-yu lists a towel rental set. Their similar names do not mean their locations, prices or payment arrangements are interchangeable.

For more background, JGO!’s onsen guide for beginners and onsen etiquette guide cover the wider bathing visit, while the Hakone onsen guide provides context for the area around Tenzan Toji-kyo. Other related JGO! guides include Akihabara, the Aomori Nebuta Festival, Atsuta Jingu, Awa Odori, Japanese train bento and the Beppu Hells. As with towel details, confirm current facility information before making plans.

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