Onsen and Sento

Onsen are public hot tubs. Many people believe think with Onsens you are not allowed to have tattoos, this is a myth. Some Onsens and Sentos have that as a rule but they don't enforce it. The main reason no tattoos are allowed is because of Yakuza (a criminal group in Japan known for his tattoos). There are also Onsens and Sentos that allow tattoos, but if your tattoo is small you should be fine.

Sento are public baths that involve showering and sharing a bath with other people. This experience can be weird yet intriguing to people from a completely different culture because it is new for people to share a bath with others if you aren't used to it. When someone mentions a sento many people think Ghibli's Spirited Away bath house. Though there are some places like that they are very few and they are slowly vanishing from Japan.