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Originally Posted by RealJames
And that's why I'm always a little uneasy about onsen and sento.
I know it's more for women than men.
But the average western guy is a lot more hairy than the average Japanese dude.
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For guys, I don`t really think anyone is going to care. There isn`t really a culture of body shaving for men, so at the worst they`ll just think that you`re, well, hairy.
More along the lines of
noticing the hair rather than being repulsed by it.
My husband is very hairy for a Japanese guy. He has hairy legs, and actually has a patch of chest hair.
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Oh and in case any western woman is reading this;
That feeling American guys get when they see French women with armpit hair, that's very similar to how Japanese guys feel when they see the hairy arms peach fuzz on western women 
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I came to Japan early enough, and had other things to worry about before coming over here, that I never really noticed things like this until I made later trips back as an independent adult.
I use an epilator on my arms, legs, and armpits. I shave my face with tiny little facial razors. It`s not because I am particularly hairy, have a mustache, beard, or anything like that - but because
it`s what everyone does. Peach fuzz on the face is a no-go in Japan.
On visits to the US or on meeting up with other foreign women, it really is something you notice. It stands out. I can`t imagine having fur on my arms (even if it`s thin and blonde), but it seems to be something totally normal outside Japan. I also hate those tiny tiny hairs on the face, particularly because I rarely wear makeup so suck at putting it on - those tiny tiny hairs make it all the harder so I shave them off... But I`ve seen women with what look like full out sideburns who are shocked at the very idea of shaving their face. There has actually been talk of it being a pride thing - western women don`t drop to the level of shaving their faces, blah blah blah.
Japanese women do it though, so I`ve never really thought too deeply about it and just go with the flow of where I actually live.