So basically I have a ton of self-harm scars all over my body from a, not so great time in high school. They are pretty obvious when clothed and would be VERY obvious if I was naked. Should I avoid onsens? I would not want to upset or make anyone there uncomfortable.
Thanks
25 comments
What do you do when you go to a pool or the beach in your home country?
I dont have an answer for this but I would like to say that Im happy and proud of you for being at a place where you feel fulfilled enough to travel. You’re a rockstar! Enjoy your trip!
odds are high no one will care. if they notice, they are unlikely to say anything or act differently. people generally keep distance at onsen, especially larger ones. sometimes someone will strike up a conversation in awkward English, but largely people just do their own thing and expect others to do the same.
Alternative could be going to an onsen with a private room.
I have pretty extensive scarring all over my body, mainly from surgeries but no one seems to care. No one has ever asked me about it and I go semi-regularly. You should be fine.
Tbh I don’t think they will really care. I went to a onsen that took me 1 hour to walk to so I doubt they see a lot of tourist. I am Mexican-American and covered in irezumi style art on my body. I got a few stares when I walked in, but after that they just left me alone. Pretty sure it’s cause they didn’t want to stare at another man naked. I’m sure you’ll be fine hopefully you’re doing better and I wish you the best of luck
I’m not an expert but when I went to the onsen people mostly kept their eyes to themselves. Maybe you can go off hours when there is likely to be less people around.
I’d be very surprised if anyone paid any attention to this kind of thing, but would recommend a private Onsen if you are anxious. Sure you will love it.
As a Taiwanese-American with a sizeable electrical burn scar going down my right shoulder and torso, I say go.
I got by alright and even had a conversation with an elder, albeit broken with his limited English and my barebones Japanese, about the perils of working in trades.
Folks in Japan for the most part aren’t nosy like the Karens and Karls we have in the USA. General rule is that as long as you observe local social customs and traditions, they’ll leave you be and mind their own business.
I don’t have very visible self harm scars anymore, but I do have my nipples pierced which isn’t really a things in northern Japan. In the Onsen I sometimes I get stares, but nobody’s ever said anything or been malicious.
No, you should be fine.
Also I just want to mention like I always do, my favorite ryokan in the world is in a remote spot in the Japanese Alps, Takaragawa Onsen. It’s one of Japan’s greatest hidden treasures.
In the onsen, nobody will care. They will stare at you most likely anyway so don’t feel surprised when this happens. Kids tend to stare a lot, regardless of whether one has scars or not.
If you go to an Onsen town with lots of Onsen then you will find a quiet one easily enough. Obviously people are likely to glance at you if they see something different though Japanese people are very polite so are likely to just ignore you.
The only thing people will care about is tattoos, otherwise people generally avoid looking at other people at onsens
It’s obviously not the same, but I’m pretty well covered in tattoos (sleeves, chest, ankles to hip, etc) and as long as they’re okay with tattoos, no one in an onsen looks much or says anything. I’m far from the norm (bald, bearded, etc) so I’m sure there’s some level of curiosity, but no one has ever stared.
If your concern about others looking at you funny will make you paranoid, then don’t go. If you’ll be able to relax, then go…the others will be just fine.
As always, politeness and a nice big smile always helps, too.
I dont think any Japanese would be impolite about this. Even if someone would notice or care, which I highly doubt, they still are very discreet and keep their opinions to themselves.
On the other hand, you are not accountable for other peoples feelings. You have the same right to reserve space or breath air than anyone else.
We have been in many onsens, city and countryside. My fiancee has whole body tattooed (female) and I have large scar/wound style tattoos covering most of my self inflicted scars. Nobody has ever commented our outlook when visiting onsens and otherwise negative comments are very rare.
I got such visible ones on my face not from self harm, i stopped giving a shit many many years ago and am now comfortable, just walk out the door one day and treat as if you went out and forgot your socks or something, you may get a glance but nobody will say or do anything they’ll go about there business. It’s part of who we are!
Just a short comment from a Japanese: no worries! You should be fine as everyone here says. Hope you’ll enjoy your trip in our country 🙂
I doubt anyone would care or say anything. I have stretch marks over the entirety of my body even when I wear short sleeved tops you can see them on my Forearms very obviously. I lost weight and starting to just not care anymore. I am immensely proud of how far you’ve come. Everyone has scars some internal and external but we are all human so be happy. Enjoy your holiday be free and embrace it all.
I have a lot of self harm scars and it’s pretty obvious. I’ve been in upwards on 10 onsens and I had no problems whatsoever. No one commented and no one stared. YMMV but i think you’ll probably be okay. It’s kind of hard to see because of lots of steam and trust me one is looking closely.
Yo broski. I’m onsen obsessed and been to at least a hundred Onsen/Sentos over the years. Super visible forearm scars.
No one will say anything. Don’t worry at all. DM me if you have any questions
I’m fat (Extraordinary fat by Japanese standards) Tall, ginger, and have a large scar on my right ankle from when I had a fight with steps and lost.
No one looked twice at me, other than an older lady who declared me her scottish friend after a chat in very broken japanglish (horrible japanese on my side, passable english on her side).
I hope you do go to the Onsen and have fun. There’s nothing nicer than a long day sightseeing than soaking into hot hot water.
If you want a cheaper more earthy experience try a local Sento. If you’re in the Nishinippori area of Tokyo Asahiyu is lovely.
If you are not Japanese, you will probably get looks regardless. If you are more self-conscious, you will probably notice this a lot more (compared to some other people here commenting here). The trick is to just not let it bother you – just make sure you follow the onsen etiquette and ignore everyone else.
When I went to japan I had very fresh self harm scars on my thighs, no one asked any questions and I was left alone about it (they were very obviously self inflicted cuts, they didn’t look in any way natural) I would say just go for it. No one will ask.
Hello, I’m Japanese and born and raised in Japan, so I hope my idea will be useful for you.
I have self-harm scars too, it’s slightly scar but people can notice it.
I’ve experienced my coworkers or my friends asked me about my scars so I really can’t say Japanese people don’t mind your scars at all tbh.
However, that doesn’t mean you can’t take onsen. I’ve been to some onsens and I’ve never seen there’re onsens which said they banned people who have scars.
So I think you can enjoy taking onsen. I hope you’ll enjoy it!