Just because you have tattoos doesn’t mean you shouldn’t get to enjoy and experience onsen in Japan. In fact, there are quite a few places that are available for those with tats.
First of all – this cartoon guide gives some rules for visiting onsen and is directed at foreigners – just imagine for a moment – all of these things must have happened at some point – even the guy doing his laundry in the onsen!
This great blog not only lists 30 Onsen that are friendly to tatted visitors- but also dives deep into the history of tattoos and onsen in Japan. Worth a read – https://blog.gaijinpot.com/how-to-onsen-if-you-have-tattoos/
There are other options – one of them that I just spent a few hours in is the onsen at the Hotel Villa Fontaine Grande Haneda. The hotel is actually located in Terminal 3 of Haneda airport. It’s a trippy hotel with full automation and big creepy hallways that lead endlessly to new elevators – but it’s comfy, has nice amenities, and convenient if you are flying in or out of Haneda – also the onsen is open 24 hours and has no restrictions on tattoos. Here’s a pretty decent Reddit thread that has more onsen suggestions for those with tattoos
I booked this hotel thinking I was flying out at 11 am, but in fact, I’m flying out at 11pm – so I have an extra 12 hours that I’m not sure what to do with.