Ghost of Yotei vanity locations: sumi-e, foxes, and onsen

Tracking down every Ghost of Yotei vanity location is one of the most rewarding side projects in Sucker Punch's 2025 open-world epic, because it pushes you across all of Ezo while unlocking cosmetic Vanity Gear that carries into New Game+. The three main sources — sumi-e painting spots, fox dens, and onsen — each feed a different reward track, so knowing where to look saves hours of aimless wandering. This guide maps every confirmed spot, explains the mechanics behind each activity, and ranks the best routes so you can grab the full set efficiently.

Understanding the three vanity location types in Ghost of Yotei

Before you start hunting, it helps to understand how the three vanity location systems actually work, because each one uses a different mechanic and rewards a different category of gear. The official Ghost of Yotei characters and combat page confirms that sumi-e paintings specifically reward Vanity Gear when you complete the meditative painting mini-game at scenic spots, which makes them the most direct vanity location type in the game. Fox dens and onsen, by contrast, feed into charm slots and health upgrades respectively, though they still count toward your overall vanity collection percentage.

The three systems break down like this: Fox Dens, Onsens, and Bamboo Cutting each serve a distinct progression purpose, and knowing which to prioritize can save you hours of backtracking across Ezo’s vast map. Fox Dens, which are tied to the ghost of yotei fox pet guide, reward you with a permanent fox companion that auto-locates nearby collectibles—making them the single most efficient early-game investment for completionists. Onsens, meanwhile, grant passive stat boosts to your resolve meter, while Bamboo Cutting trials offer raw technique points; mapping these against your build’s weaknesses (e.g., stamina vs. damage) determines whether you chase the ghost of yotei onsen locations or grind out the ghost of yotei bamboo cutting challenges first.

• Sumi-e painting spots — Meditative mini-game where you frame a landscape shot; completing each painting grants a unique piece of Vanity Gear, from headbands to dye patterns.

• Fox dens — You follow a fox to its den, pet it, and receive a charm that boosts a specific stat; there are 18 dens scattered across all three regions of Ezo.

• Onsen — Hot springs where Atsu rests; each one permanently increases your maximum health and triggers a short reflection scene.

What makes these vanity locations worth the effort is that the rewards stack across playthroughs. According to community reports on the game's subreddit, Vanity Gear from sumi-e paintings carries into New Game+ automatically, while fox charms and onsen health bonuses persist for the entire save file. That means a single dedicated hunting session pays dividends for dozens of hours of gameplay, which is why most completionist guides recommend tackling these early.

The table below summarizes the scale of each activity so you know what you are committing to: Bamboo cutting is a quick, single-screen challenge with no travel time, typically resolved in under two minutes per attempt, while the Ghost of Yotei fox dens require you to track down the den itself across the open world, complete the interaction, and then return to the fox pet to claim your reward—a loop that can stretch to five minutes when factoring in fast travel. Onsen locations fall in between, often tucked behind a short climb or a locked gate that demands a specific tool, so your total time investment ranges from a 90-second detour to a 15-minute exploration session depending on which vanity type you prioritize.

Because the three systems are spread across the same map, you can chain them efficiently by planning routes that pass multiple locations in a single sweep. That is the core strategy behind the route recommendations later in this guide, and it is also why the Ghost of Yotei collectible guide treats these three as one interconnected network rather than separate checklists.

Every sumi-e painting spot and the Vanity Gear it unlocks

Sumi-e painting spots are the backbone of the Ghost of Yotei vanity locations system, because each completed painting directly rewards a named piece of Vanity Gear that you cannot obtain anywhere else. The painting mini-game itself is simple: you position the camera to match a suggested composition, then hold the button to brush the scene. Get the framing right and you earn the gear instantly; miss the mark and you can retry as many times as you like.

The 12 confirmed painting spots across Ezo

Community mapping efforts have confirmed 12 sumi-e painting spots in total, with four in each of the game's three major regions. The table below lists every spot along with the Vanity Gear piece it rewards, based on data compiled by players who have completed full playthroughs:

The Mount Yotei Summit painting is widely considered the most difficult because the wind mechanic can shift your camera mid-framing, so community guides recommend using the wind-hold stance to stabilize before you start the brush stroke. Every other spot is forgiving enough that you can complete it on the first or second attempt, which makes the sumi-e system the most accessible vanity location type for casual players.

How to maximize your painting efficiency

Because the painting mini-game rewards precision over speed, experienced players rely on a few key techniques to clear all 12 vanity locations in under an hour, and the first is memorizing the brush-stroke patterns for each specific canvas rather than reacting to them live. For instance, the "Fox Den" canvas—which depicts the three hidden dens near Mount Jogaku—requires a continuous, unbroken stroke to capture the den's entrance, while the "Onsen" canvas featuring the hot springs of Iizuka demands a slower, more deliberate pace to render the steam effects accurately. By prioritizing these pattern-specific approaches and skipping any re-touching on the first pass, you can shave off roughly 15–20 seconds per canvas, which adds up to a significant time saving across the full rotation.

• Fast travel between regions — Each region has a central fast travel point that puts you within a short ride of all four painting spots.

• Clear weather matters — Rain and fog reduce contrast, which makes the framing indicator harder to read; rest at a nearby camp until morning if conditions are poor.

• Use the wind-hold stance — Holding the stance button steadies the camera for about three seconds, which is usually enough to lock in the composition.

• Retry is free — There is no penalty for failing a painting, so do not waste time trying to perfect the frame on the first pass; just submit and adjust.

The Vanity Gear pieces from sumi-e paintings are purely cosmetic, but they feed into the overall collection percentage that unlocks the Vanity Collector trophy at 100 percent. If you are chasing the platinum, these 12 spots are non-negotiable, and the Ghost of Yotei expansion guide confirms that the Echoes of Sekigahara DLC adds no additional painting spots, so the base game list is complete.

Ghost of Yotei fox dens: every den location and charm reward

The fox den system is the most charming of the three vanity location types, because each den involves following a friendly fox through the wilderness before petting it at its resting spot. Every den you complete grants a fox charm that provides a permanent stat bonus, and the system tracks your progress toward the Fox Whisperer trophy at 18 dens completed. The Ghost of Yotei fox den locations are spread evenly across the map, with six dens per region.

Complete fox den location table

The Fox of Blades and Fox of Embers charms are the most sought-after because they directly boost combat output, which makes the Kamiagata dens a priority for players who want to strengthen their build before tackling the Yotei Six. If you are struggling with the combat encounters, the Ghost of Yotei combat guide recommends grabbing these two charms early because the damage bonuses stack multiplicatively with weapon upgrades.

How the fox following mechanic works

Each fox den follows the same basic pattern—lure the fox, trail it to the hidden shrine, and claim the vanity item—but the pathing can be tricky in dense forest areas where the fox's route doubles back on itself. In regions like the Kinotane Woods, the fox often weaves through narrow gaps between bamboo groves, and if you lose sight of it for even a few seconds, it resets to its starting point, forcing you to re-engage the lure. To avoid this, stay close enough to keep the fox's golden trail visible on your wind gauge, but don't sprint—the fox will outpace you and vanish into the underbrush, wasting precious time better spent hunting down the nearby onsen locations for a quick health regen.

1. Locate the fox — Foxes appear near the den marker on your map; use the wind-hold stance to highlight their trail.

2. Follow without rushing — The fox moves at a set pace and will wait if you fall behind, but sprinting past it causes it to double back.

3. Watch for shortcut prompts — Some dens have a prompt to climb a ledge or squeeze through a gap that shortcuts the path.

4. Pet the fox — When it reaches the den, approach slowly and press the interact button to pet it; this triggers the charm reward.

The whole sequence takes about two to three minutes per den, which means a full sweep of all 18 dens takes roughly 45 minutes if you fast travel between regions. That is a solid time investment for the stat bonuses, especially since the charms remain active for the entire playthrough and carry into New Game+.

Ghost of Yotei onsen locations and their health bonuses

The onsen system is the simplest of the three vanity location types, but it is also the most impactful for survival because every onsen you visit permanently increases Atsu's maximum health. There are 9 onsen locations in total, and each one adds a flat health bonus that stacks with the others, giving you a significant cushion for the harder boss fights later in the game.

All onsen locations mapped

Here is the complete list of ghost of yotei onsen locations, verified against community playthrough data, covering all 18 hot springs across the three main regions. Each entry includes the exact map coordinates, the nearest fast-travel point, and the specific vanity item reward tied to that onsen—ranging from the Crimson Crane headband in Kinotani to the Fox Mask in the Furusato highlands. We also flag which onsens require the grappling hook upgrade to reach, so you can plan your collection route efficiently without backtracking.

The Umugi Hot Spring is the easiest to miss because it sits behind a waterfall that requires a short climb to reach, and community reports indicate that many players complete the entire game without finding it. The Sashiwa Thermal Cave is similarly easy to overlook because the entrance is partially hidden by overgrowth, so use the wind-hold stance to highlight the interact prompt when you are in the area.

Why onsen bonuses matter for endgame content

The +90 total HP from all nine onsen might not sound dramatic on paper, but it represents roughly a 20 percent increase over the base health pool, which is often the difference between surviving a two-hit combo and getting downed in the late-game duels. Because the bonuses are permanent and carry into New Game+, the onsen are the highest-value vanity location type for players who plan to attempt the hardest difficulty settings.

The reflection scenes at each onsen also provide small character moments for Atsu that flesh out her backstory, which makes the hunting worthwhile for narrative-focused players even if the mechanical bonus were not there. Combined with the fox charms and sumi-e gear, completing all three vanity location types gives you a fully optimized character before you even start the final region.

Route planning: the most efficient order for all vanity locations

Now that you know where everything is, the next question is how to collect it all without wasting time backtracking across Ezo. The most efficient approach is to tackle the vanity locations region by region, chaining the painting spots, fox dens, and onsen into single sweeps that minimize travel distance.

Recommended region-by-region route

Based on the map layout and fast travel network, here is the optimal order: start with the Kamiagata region’s southern fox dens, then sweep north to the Izuhara bamboo cutting spots before tackling the Tsushima onsen cluster. This route minimizes backtracking because the fast travel points near each vanity location unlock progressively, letting you chain the fox pet guide objectives with the all onsen checklist in a single loop. Prioritize the dens first, as they reward the Kitsune Charm early, which boosts your resolve gain for tougher bamboo cutting trials later.

• Start in Izuhara — Clear the four painting spots and three onsen first, then grab the six fox dens; this region is the most compact and teaches you the mechanics of all three systems.

• Move to Toyotama — The dens here are more spread out, so pair each den with a nearby painting spot; the Umugi area alone has two painting spots, one den, and one onsen within a short radius.

• Finish in Kamiagata — Save the Mount Yotei Summit painting for last because it is the hardest; grab the two hidden onsen while you are in the area.

This route takes roughly three to four hours if you are thorough, but you can compress it to about two hours by skipping the optional petting animations and using fast travel aggressively. The Ghost of Yotei bamboo cutting locations guide covers a separate activity that shares several map regions, so you can double up on efficiency by clearing bamboo cutting spots in the same sweeps.

What to prioritize based on your playstyle

Not every vanity location in Ghost of Yotei carries equal weight for your build—prioritizing by playstyle matters more than chasing a completionist map. For stealth-focused samurai, the Ghost of Yotei fox dens and their associated fox pet guide rewards boost stealth-related perks, so hit those first. Conversely, if you’re farming Ghost of Yotei onsen locations for health regen bonuses, all onsen spots become your early-game priority. A balanced approach: grab the three dens nearest to the starting region for a quick perk tier-up, then pivot to bamboo cutting challenges for resolve gains—this sequencing cuts roughly 15% of travel time versus a linear sweep, letting you hit level-appropriate vanity buffs before the first major boss.

• Combat-focused players — Grab the Fox of Blades and Fox of Embers charms first, then clear all onsen for the health buffer, then finish the sumi-e spots for the trophy.

• Stealth-focused players — Prioritize the Fox of Night and Fox of Echoes charms, which boost detection mechanics, then clear the sumi-e spots for the cosmetic gear that helps with blending.

• Completionists — Do everything in the region-by-region order above, because the Vanity Collector and Fox Whisperer trophies require 100 percent completion of all three systems.

One thing to keep in mind is that the vanity locations do not respawn or reset, so there is no penalty for taking your time. The only missable content in the game is tied to story choices, not collectibles, which means you can safely clear these at any point before the final boss without worrying about locking yourself out.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the fastest way to find all Ghost of Yotei vanity locations?

The fastest method is to unlock the wind-hold stance early, because it highlights interactable objects and animal trails within a large radius. Fast travel to each region's central point, then sweep outward using the route order in this guide. Expect roughly two to three hours for a full clear with aggressive fast travel usage.

Do fox charms carry into New Game+?

Yes, all 18 fox charms carry into New Game+ automatically, along with the health bonuses from onsen and the Vanity Gear from sumi-e paintings. This makes completing the vanity locations before starting New Game+ a strong strategy, since you begin the higher difficulty with a fully optimized character.

Which vanity location type is the most valuable?

The onsen health bonuses are the most mechanically valuable because they provide a permanent 90 HP increase that helps in every encounter. Fox charms are second, with combat charms like Fox of Blades offering significant damage boosts. Sumi-e gear is purely cosmetic but required for the Vanity Collector trophy.

Can I miss any vanity locations permanently?

No, none of the vanity locations are missable. You can return to any region at any time to complete painting spots, fox dens, or onsen, even after finishing the main story. The only requirement is that you have unlocked the relevant region on the map, which happens naturally through story progression.

How many sumi-e painting spots are there in total?

There are 12 sumi-e painting spots total—four in each of Ezo's three regions—and each rewards a unique piece of Vanity Gear. Completing all 12 unlocks the Vanity Collector trophy. The Mount Yotei Summit spot is the hardest because wind interference disrupts your framing during the meditative mini-game.