Onsens - Now Get Naked?!
- Mary Kate gKing
- Oct 3, 2024
- 7 min read
Updated: Oct 10, 2024
Onsens are very popular across Japan. But what is an onsen and what is their purpose? Onsens are natural hot springs that are often used as bathing facilities. They have important cultural practices to be mindful of if you choose to visit an onsen during your time in Japan. During our trip to Japan, my husband and I stayed in a smaller ski town a couple of hours outside of Tokyo, called Nozawaonsen. In this specific town, there are 30 onsens with 13 free public onsens. When walking down the street you can see both locals and tourists with their towels and soaps heading to the various onsens within the town. One of the most significant rules about visiting the onsens is that they require full nudity when entering. If this is something you cannot commit to then I would plan on skipping the onsens on your Japan trip. During our time in Japan, we visited multiple, ranging from a truly authentic local evening onsen experience to more of a spa at a resort. Regardless of which onsens you go to, you’ll still need to get naked.
Popular Onsen in the center of town in Nozawaonsen. No phones or cameras beyond this point.
Thankfully our lodging at Nozawaonsen had everything we needed for an onsen, including some helpful cultural tips about the onsen rules. For starters, everyone bathes before entering the onsen. If you are at a spa they might have showers but most of the onsens we went to had buckets that you could fill with water. It is important to either sit or crouch down on the floor and slowly pour the water over you to avoid splashing others around you. Knowing anything about the Japanese culture, it makes sense that they care about splashing others because there is such an emphasis on being considerate of those around you. It was so refreshing being surrounded by such respectful people, to reciprocate that respect here is a list of Cultural Tips For Japan.
Regarding the cultural nuances of Japanese onsens, I think the best way to give insight is to describe my first encounter at an onsen. My husband and I were staying on the outskirts of Nozawaonsen where more locals lived. It was evening time, before dinner that we decided to go to the free public onsen close to our accommodation. I was trying to read more on the cultural considerations for visiting an onsen but there wasn’t much information online other than bathing yourself before entry. My husband didn’t read as much and assumed he’d just figure it out.. he definitely regretted that decision later. We grabbed our baskets with soap, shampoo, and a mini towel (the size of a washcloth), and headed outside into the snow to go to the onsen. Due to the full nudity, pretty much all of them are separated by gender ( Although there was a coed private onsen in one of our accommodations in Mt. Fuji). My husband, Nick, and I looked at each other and decided 20 minutes would be a good first time to plan to meet outside after we “onsened”. (We had to plan a time to meet because no phones are allowed in the onsens for obvious reasons.. which is why our phones were left at home). I walked into the female section where there was a step (indicating shoes to be removed). I removed my shoes and took a few more steps to turn the corner where I saw a small open dressing area, a compact hot-tub-looking area, and 17 naked Japanese women aging from approximately 10-70 years old. I almost walked out because it was so crowded for such a small room but I saw some women were getting out of the hot spring and looked like they were leaving. I saw there was an area where everyone's shoes were so I placed my shoes down and then started undressing. As I mentioned before, a small hand towel is all that is brought to the onsen so as soon as you start taking your clothes off there is no coverage. I personally was not worried about being naked but was very concerned about being culturally sensitive and respectful to the locals. There were a few young girls that were also changing when I was and I was trying to make sure I did everything they did without staring. I walked down to the tile area around the hot spring where I saw a small bucket and water faucet. I crouched low to the ground, almost sitting, and dumped my first bucket of water over the bottom half of my body… freezing cold water that is. There was no thermostat in the room, just a small amount of warmth from the hot water so I quietly gasped when I dumped a bucket of ice-cold water on myself. I personally did not want to wash my hair, but the girls bathing at the same time as me were fully washing their bodies, including their hair. When I was about to commit to dumping the glacial water over my head, I noticed the other girls were scooping half a bucket of hot water out of the onsen, and then filling the rest with the faucet water. I didn’t even have time to think about the sanitation of that since I was focused on not freezing to death. When I went to fill part of the bucket with hot water from the onsen, I saw an older woman with her feet in the water and dry hair up in a bun. I had read before entering that your hair should never touch the water but was not sure if I was required to wash my hair before entering the onsen. After seeing women with dry hair clipped up, I took this as a sign that it was okay to not wash my hair. After a thorough cleaning from the neck down, I entered the onsen. Initially, there was only an opening by where the entry of the water which I had read to not do. Some women shifted when I walked up and I practiced my “Sumimasen” when entering. I thought it was going to be deep when I got in but it’s not even two feet of water so you’re more just sitting with your legs criss-crossed in very tight corners. The waters are extremely hot but vary in temperature depending on the onsen. I lasted no more than 5 minutes and then transitioned to my post-onsen shower. I distinctly remember being very insecure in the onsen, regretting that I didn’t wash my hair. Hoping it was hopefully not a big deal, but then realized I left my watch and some of my jewelry on, where not a single other person in the onsen had anything on except maybe stuffed earrings. I wished I knew more about what it was like to make sure I wasn’t being disrespectful. While everyone else made small talk in Japanese, I pondered about all the things I was worried about. I wondered if Nick was having a similar experience. I also recognized how awesome it was to have such an authentic experience and the fact that they let visitors participate in their daily practices. Sitting like a pretzel in this Japanese hot spring, reflecting on all these different observations, I realized I left my mini towel in my clothes cubby. There was a sign with pictures of the dos and don’ts in the onsen, one of which was to be dry by the time you made it to the changing area. Panic ensued and then I decided after my post-hot-spring bath to briskly walk and snag my baby towel to dry myself before going back to the changing area. It seems impossible to properly describe the experience but it was very eventful and I wish I had known more about the respectful onsen traditions before visiting. That is exactly how Nick described it when we met up. His next sentence was his regret in not reading more about what to do when visiting an onsen. When he walked in, he described a similar “full” onsen with naked men of all ages. Unfortunately for Nick, everyone was already in the onsen so there wasn’t anyone’s lead for him to follow. He had quite the experience which also led to him briefly getting yelled at for putting his shoes in the incorrect spot (which says a lot considering as a whole, the Japanese are not very confrontational). After our debrief I decided I definitely needed to make a list of all the things to consider when visiting an onsen. The next day we went to another onsen earlier in the day and had much less of a crowd and was more confident in our understanding of the process. I made sure my jewelry was off, my hair was washed and clipped on the top of my head with my mini towel in the correct location. After a few days, we learned that specifically in Nozawaonsen, most locals do not have showers and the public bath is where they do their daily bathing. This explained a little more of the crowd during the evening time and why I saw an older woman brushing her teeth while sitting naked on the floor in the corner of the onsen. I’m still happy we went and got to experience something so unique. We went to a few more onsens in Japan and South Korea during our trip which didn’t seem to be as intimidating. I’ve listed some key takeaways but the biggest thing is being respectful of the community you are visiting. I hope some of these tips help when you visit your first onsen!
Key Considerations:
No bathing suits, clothing, or jewelry allowed in the onsen
Must bathe before getting in the onsen (most bathe afterward as well)
Must sit and be mindful of splashing when using buckets of water to rinse off
No phones
No food or drinks
No hair touching the water
No towels in the onsen (some wear their mini washcloth on their head but it never goes in the water)
Do not enter the onsen or sit at the entrance where the water drains into the hot spring
Dry yourself prior to making it back to the changing area
Be Respectful!
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