Hi all, wondering if you could fill me in on how Japan views hairy appendages. In my home country, it’s normal for guys to wear shorts and short-sleeve shirts, and I thought it was in Japan too. It’s also normal in my country for guys to have hirsute chests, arms, and legs.
Recently, I was wearing athletic shorts on the train that came just above the knee. This older guy got up out of his seat, came and sat next to me, and kept saying “恥ずかしくない？どの国から？” while moving his hands around my legs (didn’t touch, but came close). He wouldn’t stop until I went to the bathroom to change. I had seen plenty of people with shorts/skirts that day, so I don’t think it was the shorts?
Maybe it was because I wasn’t clean shaven, is my next guess.
My workplace uses Cool Biz with short sleeves, and shorts during sports, so a handful of times other guys in the workplace have pointed out “you’re hairy” etc. I’ve definitely noticed a lot of ladies checking me out, but didn’t think to wonder why except “foreigner, kawaii.”
TLDR: Wondering whether unshaven male arms/legs are the male equivalent to cleavage or something.
30 comments
They see it as “unclean” ig 🤔
I’m pretty hairy and I’ve never had that happen to me, although I’ve never worn athletic shorts on a train.
Not sure if you have many young friends, but Japan is literally in the midst of a gigantic laser hair removal boom.
Nah that guy was just weird my husband has, what I consider, hairy legs and nobody ever wanted to rub on them lmao. Maybe he just thought you looked cool haha.
Think its seen as a gay thing here. The only hairy thing I’ve got is my head, nipple length hair, and I get attention for that.
Did the guy specifically mentioned your body hair? Maybe it was about your shorts and rather than the length, but perhaps how it was clinging to you or something?
I’ve only worn athletic shorts once and it clung to me. If I sit down, it clung even more.
It was too revealing, bulge-wise.
My husband has a lot of hair and wears deep V-necks and short sleeves, and nobody’s ever been rude to him about it. A lot of Japanese guys get their hair removed, but they don’t say anything to him (except to call his beard sugoi but that’s pretty cute). He’s white though, and that might help.
I have thick hairy legs and was wearing shorts on the train during summer. Lol, I wasn’t aware that it’s an issue here. I don’t recall anyone complaining, but then again I can never get a seat on the Odakyu Line. Also, I usually have headphones on, so maybe I missed the cues.
This is what I thought too
Haven’t gotten any attention that I knew of before this week, but then again it’s been winter
I mean there’s definitely a thing with facial hair here, but people are not going to look at your hairy appendages and call you dirty. That guy was just weird.
Would have been and even better story if you were female.
In Japan they want the men to look like girls and the dogs to look like cats. Don’t worry about the rude bastard, and keep being you. Japanese people talk openly about physical attributes, but they probably weren’t taught any better unless they lived abroad outside of their ijime bubble.
You might have been getting hit on.
Could be because I’m not very hairy, but have never experienced this being an issue despite shorts/t-shirt being my go-to outfit for summer.
Thick body hair is pretty uncommon there, and I think some folks are kind of fascinated or shocked by it. That said, I think it’s extremely unusual for anyone to say anything about it, especially to a stranger. Just sounds like some weird old guy on the train.
I think he was just creeping on you.
Don’t be afraid to show off your furry legs. But feel free to give them a trim. I use a trimmer set to 6mm to clean up my legs in summer.
Don’t let people harass you, just tell that old pervert to keep distance and go back to his obasan and that you are not gay and not interested in him. There is no reason to be hair-shamed, it’s natural and a sign of high testosterone. Next time just start coughing at him and mention corona.
Had a friend complain about this kind of thing last month. But he was at a bar and a Japanese girl wouldn’t stop trying to play with his arm hair or touch his beard. He doesn’t like being touched, asked her to stop several times(she didn’t), and he even moved chairs a few times but she’d follow him.
I’ve heard stories about some people being really curious foreigner’s hair but never seen it myself.
You met one weird fucker on the train. There, the end. Don’t overthink this one.
Hairy bodies are less common and you’ve been unlucky to have a creepy experience, no need to overthink it
This reminds me of when I first came to Japan many years ago for study abroad and one of my classmates, a black guy, told us about how an old Japanese guy came up to him on the train and started stroking him and said “I love your skin.”
I think maybe older Japanese guys have a lot of repressed desires…
I was asked once by a girl if I eat pork, I asked her if she asked because I’ve got a beard. Indeed she thought that every man with a beard must be Muslim! (Or Jewish?) Silly situations can arise. In Japan I’m always reminded that I’m different, I don’t mind but not everyone thinks so.
Congratulations, you’re the rare twinkbeargaijin. Half twink half bear half gaijin.
Lots of Japanese guys are hairy but they don’t show their hairy legs off because Japanese girls think it’s gross. You’ll see more hairy legs in the summer though don’t worry.
“Isn’t that how a tailor measure pants?” OP might be asking next
Think about how many beards or mustaches you see on Japanese men here.
No, generally, for visible hair on males, it’s just more common to not have it than have it.
I think you are overthinking. Just a random weirdo acting weird/trying to pick you up.
Even if someone actually thought that, they are not going to go up to you and say it directly to your face.
That guy is just weird. I am also hairy and have never had any weirdos do that. Kids at the elementary school I worked at used to try and pat me like a dog….and were amazed…but they are kids.
If a guy approached me on the train and tried to touch me up, he’d be getting told in no uncertain terms to fuck off
According to my j wife, many Japanese people consider body hair gross, and hairy legs seem to high on the list of unattractive things. She reckons generally men don’t care, but they perceive women do care, so hide them.
There was a thread here last summer talking about how you could tell the tourists were back because short wearing western men could be seen around Tokyo…
I say f$&@ them, wear what you want. Get a pair of short shorts, an open aloha shirt and a gold chain and go full Magnum.
I think you misunderstood what he meant and it was not about the hair. Next time use underwear 😉