Onsens (Hot Springs)

[Nyororin]

We love onsen. The same goes for Super Sento - sometimes they`re twice as much fun as real onsen. We`ve probably been to all those in this area (except the very closest one, as it is always packed), and take frequent weekend trips to others further away.

Nakedness is something I don`t really mind. I`m not thin, I don`t have a great body, but neither do a lot of other people in there. In fact, the most common type to encounter in the bath seems to be 80 year old women with pot bellies and pendulum breasts.
I`ve personally never really noticed anyone staring, or really anything more than a sort of "Wow, that`s rare" sort of look. More recently, I seem to draw the "OMG your kid is so cute!!!" crowd though because I take my son in with me.

However, that`s with Japanese in the bath.

I will never again get into an onsen with a foreigner. I have made this mistake twice. Once with family from the US, and once with a friend who wanted me to walk her through the experience. The same thing happened in both cases.
It was incredibly uncomfortable because THEY kept staring at my nudity, and they made a HUGE deal out of it - constantly commenting about the fact that we were naked, overdoing their body hiding motions, being shocked that I wasn`t more humiliated or disgusted with other naked people around, etc. It was incredibly stressful and nothing I will ever choose to repeat.

When everyone else around is comfortable with it, there isn`t anything odd about it.

[Rogozhin]

Originally Posted by Paul11

Are you comfortable being naked in front of people?

Normally I don't feel comfortable getting naked in front of people but surprisingly, being naked at an onsen is very comfortable. There's a kind of atmosphere there that you wouldn't be able to replicate in the west, I think.

[Paul11]

Originally Posted by JoshAussie

are there many rules at an onsen? i know theres a couple.. like no bathing suits in the traditional ones.. is that correct? i read that some of the newer ones dont mind about bathing suits.. but when its my time to go to one id like to go to a traditional onsen..

EDIT: also how was your experience? was it very relaxing?

Well, there's not a bunch of rules. But, for example, there's the "bath before you enter the bath" thing. All along the walls around the bath, which is usually geothermally heated water, are little stations with a faucet and a shower on a hose. there is also soap and water buckets. It's appropriate to wash thoroughly from head to toe before entering the bath, or else you're just sitting in your filth.
In my experience, folks tend to watch until they see you understand the above point.
I think people are curious about body types, so they will check you out.

I find the older men are relaxed, but young men tend to hide behind their wash clothes in embarassment.

I like Onsen and been to a bunch. They are very comfortable, if you're not too modest.

[odonata]

I would think that anyone who takes bath with their clothes on is mad.
I was more conscious of my bad japanese then the fact that the people I was speaking to and myself were naked.

[EveV]

I don't think I'd like being naked in a body of water where there are other naked people.
For one I'd be terribly uncomfortable.
I'd be thinking of all the germs swimming around with me <<

And I also have a tattoo.
I think I'll stick to my boring bathtub.

Originally Posted by JoshAussie

id love to go to an onsen... i dont mind about the naked thing... when ur packing what im packing you get naked every opportunity you get... joke.... but seriously.... i have a huge @#$%

Me to!

[kyo_9]

I would like to go to onsen someday..

[clairebear]

I wouldnt be comfortable being naked infront of ANYONE, unless it was someone I was in a relationship with xD

So going to an onsen is a no no for me...

[MissMisa]

Originally Posted by clairebear

I wouldnt be comfortable being naked infront of ANYONE, unless it was someone I was in a relationship with xD

So going to an onsen is a no no for me...

Same I guess. I'd feel really embarrased and ashamed to be honest! I feel it is a personal thing and I would be very uncomfortable doing it. But being a teenager this tends to be more prevalent.

Well certainly here, anyway.

In Japan, these things are normal right? I'm sure people wouldn't give your a second look because they are used to these things [unless your foreign I imagine?]

[SSJup81]

As much as I'd love to experience going to an onsen, I don't feel comfortable being completely nude in front of anyone, unless I'm in an intimate relationship with a person. Even when at the gym, I'd go change in a bathroom stall as opposed to changing completely in front of everyone else. The only way I do change in front of someone, is if I'm just changing my regular clothes and not having to completely strip down.

I don't mind wrapping a towel around myself, but I'm not sure if something like that is even allowed in an onsen or if it's frowned upon. Maybe if I were slimmer, I wouldn't be so self-conscious about it, although, I'm half and half on it. It's like a part of me doesn't mind (I walk around topless a lot anyway...never "bra less") and then the other part does (since I'm not as slim as I'd like).

As for others being nude around me, because of the gym, I've gotten used to it, so it's not really that big of a deal anymore. It's funny how I'm more concerned about my body than I am with other people's. lol

Of course, as goofy as it may sound, if I was ever in the situation to be invited to an onsen, I'd probably go to experience it, but I know not to act like the typical "gaijin" either who is hung up with nudity since I know it'd make me look stupid, and probably rude.

[Nyororin]

Originally Posted by EveV

I don't think I'd like being naked in a body of water where there are other naked people.
For one I'd be terribly uncomfortable.
I'd be thinking of all the germs swimming around with me <<

While I won`t comment on your personal feelings of discomfort - onsens are actually fairly low on the germs. A lot of people seem to have some misconceptions regarding that part.

Onsens (and sento, really) have been shown to have considerably fewer germs than chlorinated pools (and infinitely fewer than lakes/rivers/ocean, but that`s dirty by nature). The big points are 1) People bathe BEFORE getting into the water with other people. 2) The water is constantly flowing, and is always in the process of being changed.

People in an onsen are clean. They`ve just washed themselves down, and removed all the unpleasant grime. They also are naked, so no germ and bacteria bearing swimsuits. In a pool or other bathing situation, a swimsuit actually offers negative protection. Instead of keeping germs away, it actually absorbs them and holds them against your skin. Not to mention that in a pool, as everyone else doesn`t need to bathe before they get in, you might have a kid with a feces encrusted bottom who hasn`t taken a bath in a month. A bathing suit is definitely not going to protect you.