I posted something similar in the Osaka Travel subreddit because my girlfriend and I frequent onsens and we’ve seen our fair share of tourists not knowing or willingly not following the rules, so I thought I should post here too since it’s a bigger sub.
Observation first, then the tips.
In the past year, with the influx of tourists, so did the amount of people entering the onsen/sauna/spa/locker room without reading any of the rules posted just about anywhere.
1. I’ve seen at least 8 people now bring their phones inside the bathing area. Some won’t even look up from their phone while staff or I or other people talked to them to put their phone away to their locker (what’s up with them?)
2. At one point, there was even someone taking a photo or video of the entire bathing area while people were naked in there
3. There’s this one guy recently who didn’t speak Japanese nor English go inside the spa area with sauna and pools with his shorts AND outdoor slippers. I informed him in both languages that he should place his shoes in the locker area as well as his shorts, but he didn’t speak either. Tried a bit of poor spanish and he understood finally, but he just said “No” and went on walking around until staff finally found him
4. FFS stop staring at every naked people lol it’s creepy / edit: by staring, I mean don’t follow people with your eyes/head, there are too many recently
5. Group of men didn’t want to leave their expensive shoes in the shoe locker at the front, insisted to bring it even inside the changing room and inside the pool area (just carrying their shoes around lol)
**TIPS:**
1. At the entrance, there’s usually a locker for your shoes. Leave your shoes there, no one’s gonna steal them.
2. 99% of the time, you need to be fully naked in the locker room before you enter the pool area. Get naked, no underwear, no shorts. If towel is provided, you can cover up using it.
3. SHOWER FIRST before dipping in the pools. I’ve seen tourists immediately dip in the pools without showering first.
4. If you must use the toilet, please wash again right after. Seen way too many people with toilet paper sticking on their butt just casually jumping on the pool again. Water is freely available, wash up.
5. Don’t dip/wash your towel in the pools.
6. If the onsen you visited has sauna, and if you enter a room and it’s quiet, that’s your cue to also be quiet. A lot of times, groups of tourists would enter a quiet room and start talking loudly and everyone else would leave because of it.
7. Don’t bring your phone inside, you can be parted with it surely for an hour or two?
8. Bring some coins with you, 100 yens and 10 yens. Some lockers need coins (which will be returned upon checkout)
9. The most important tip I can give is, READ THE SIGNS. There are always signs telling you what to do, what not to do. You don’t even need Japanese to understand them, often they have English or the illustrations are a dead giveaway.
It may seem like I’m quite passionate about this, but believe me when I say you wouldn’t want to meet an actually passionate uncle or grandpa who takes their onsen time seriously — one tourist in the bathing area got smacked on the head by an uncle and got shouted at because they were using their phone.
End of rant/advice. lol
by reanjohn
34 comments
Tbf, most of the folks you’re referring to who are breaking the rules/have poor onsen/sento etiquette probably aren’t the people posting on hyper-specialized travel subreddits.
Damn, bringing a phone into an onsen is crazy. WTF is wrong with some people lol.
This is all fine and entirely agreeable except for #4. Sometimes staring is just staring in the general direction and particularly in dedicated facilities, which are going to be much busier than a hotel or Ryokan onsen, it’s hard to avoid “staring”.
Also ladies, please tie your hair up. Your hair shouldn’t get in the water.
According to my wife, the ladies stare.
ETA: She says there frequently are some older Japanese ladies that stare and try to make conversation with her. While over on the men’s side, we just give each other the head nod greeting, then ignore each other. Might just be the (usually rural-ish) onsen we’ve visited.
>It may seem like I’m quite passionate about this, but believe me when I say you wouldn’t want to meet an actually passionate uncle or grandpa who takes their onsen time seriously
God, got scolded because I was sitting on the side of the onsen with my legs in the water and that specific place had rule against it.
I’ve yet to see someone using their phone inside the bathing area.
I reckon if someone was filming me or taking pictures in the onsen I’d, “accidentally” grab their phone and drop it in the water.
I normally don’t see bad public bath etiquette but I was in Hakone last week, and probably due to the sheer number of tourists I saw far more bad etiquette in a couple days than across all my other trips:
* Guy wearing slippers and bringing all his towels into the bath area
* A father/son (we’re talking adults, like a 50+ dad and either an older teen or college-aged son). Neither of them did any washing beforehand and I think willfully ignored me telling them they had to wash before getting in. I knew they spoke English considering they sounded like they were from Sweden and shared one of my dinner times, and the staff spoke to them in English.
* ^ son was doing laps/swimming in the water (there was a part of the place that had neck-deep water)
I’m a fairly hairy guy, Mediterranean descent. Pretty self conscious about it but really want to try an Onsen, first time in Japan will be in July. Anything I should be aware of before “signing up” to expose my gorilla fur in public?
Bravo. Great post!
Do not enter onsen with a chubby.
instructions unclear… multiple japanese men angry at me for observing their tips
Another one: Don’t bring your giant body towel into the bath area. Leave it in the locker room.
I avoid any busy onsen these days. Only remote quiet or very local places.
Don’t forget tattoos are banned from public on-sens. I experienced a couple Chinese tourists ignoring the multitude of signs. I have nothing against tattoos, in fact, I plan to get some myself, however, I decided that I would do it after my on-sen experience. Too see people totally ignore this was frustrating.
It makes me sad that you even had to post this..
Reverse of rule 4 is applicable. Don’t flaunt your junk.
Had a person lie down face up on the side of the pool. His junk was at eye level if we were to sit inside the pool. As onsen users we don’t want to stare but it is equally uncomfortable if we had to stare.
This is why I hsve no interest in public onsens. I grew up using our family ofuro and don’t really want to do the public ones. The Hamam in Turkiye is so good though
I haven’t had any bad experiences in onsens per se but I wait until midnight or 1am or when I know it’s going to be totally empty to visit as Im brown skinned and I get stared at/ feel uncomfortable. I don’t want anyone else to feel uncomfortable or uneasy around me either.
Generally be polite and mind your own business. And try not to be too awkward–no one in the onsen cares about you really. The little towel helps a lot. I used it to help cover my bottom half, then I put it on my head while I was soaking to help keep my hair in place. The big towel is for drying off after, though you should get yourself as dry as possible with your modesty towel before heading in to the locker room.
Also, you probably will not be in the onsen very long if you’re anything like me. Don’t stay past when you’re comfortable, because it will be very very hot and you don’t want to pass out.
Onsen is such a careful ritual. So important to know the process and etiquette and get it right. Not the place to break the rules in Japan.
Great, tourists will be banned from onsens next
I often stay in Dormy Inns for work and often use their public bath. Maybe I’m lucky, but I haven’t seen anyone bring their phone in or make a ruckus. I haven’t seen any one do this at sentos as well. Hopefully what you’ve seen isn’t the beginning of a negative trend.
What about a hairy body, is it badly seen ? Do you need to shave before going into an onsen ?
Should just ban foreigners from onsens all together ngl
Should just ban foreigners from onsens all together ngl
That’s why I avoid touristy cities
Unrelated to this,
But I went to japan in 2023 and right now Im at the airport leaving from my 2nd trip, and maan… sure tourist became more disrespectful in so many ways, or maybe its japan popularity and people just come not thinking it is a different culture or something… but I saw a decadence from 1 year ago…
I hope we dont loose the japan we all love because of disrespectful tourists
Just avoid touristy onsen. It’s only likely to get worse. But
I was really worried about going to an onsen for the first time but this makes me feel much better because the bar for good behaviour is on the floor apparently
all of this is basic common sense for hot tubs and pools as well, what is wrong with people 😭
I have large tattoos so I didn’t feel like going out of my way to find an onsen that allowed them or booking a private onsen but my goodness was I annoyed with the tourists who can’t follow simple rules or respect the culture.
I went to the flagship Uniqlo in Ginza and there was a Chinese family having a literal screaming match. An employee had to ask them to be quiet and all they did was move to another area and continue to bicker. I saw another man spit inside. I could go on and on but it’s just so disappointing to see
Saw an European women attempted to swim in the cold bath lol I know it’s nice and cold but maybe no swimming in a public bath😂
As a gay couple obviously we wouldnt be excessively intimate, but could me and my bf hold hands/lean on each other/have small kisses?
How do self harm scars go over?