Do You Really Have to be Fully NAKED? | The 8 Rules at an Onsen Hot Spring

If you’re planning to come to Japan, I believe that trying out the hot springs, or onsen in Japanese, is on your to-do list. Because Japan has many mountains and volcanoes, there are more than 20,000 onsen facilities in total. Hot springs have been an important part of Japanese culture since ancient times.

Although onsen is a place where you can relax and refresh, you might be a little worried about how to properly do things. I’ve actually received some requests for this video through the comments and Instagram. Because onsen are a kind of public space, there are actually quite a lot of rules in order for everyone to peacefully enjoy their time there.

So today, I will introduce eight basic rules on how to enjoy onsen, which are presented by most onsen facilities. By watching this video, you will be able to have a truly refreshing time when visiting these facilities. At the end of the video, as a resident in Kyoto I would like to introduce my favorite onsen which I recommend to you.

But before I start! As I always say in these “manner” videos, I don’t want anyone to be too nervous when visiting an onsen.

●京都嵐山温泉 花伝抄 Kadenshō

[Time codes]
0:00 Let's START!
2:01 1.Take off your clothes
3:02 2.Wash your hair and body before entering the bathtub
3:38 3.Be careful with the shower
4:37 4.Rinse the items and put them back together
5:31 5.Do not enter from the pouring gate
6:21 6.Do not dip towels into the bathtub
7:12 7.Do not let your hair in the bathtub
7:49 8.Wipe your body before returning to the dressing room
8:44 My favorite onsen in Kyoto: 京都嵐山温泉 花伝抄 Kadenshō
10:18 Today’s conclusion

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Hello everyone, and thank you for watching my videos!

I’m Shogo, a Kyoto born & Hiroshima raised Japanese, that grew up in Michigan USA for 6 years, and studied Mandarin in Beijing university for a year! I live in Kyoto now, as I train in Iaido(katana), Sado(tea ceremony), and Noh theatre(traditional stage art).

In this channel, you can take a closer look at Japanese traditional culture, tips on traveling to Kyoto, and social problems in Japan. So learners and lovers of Japanese language and culture, be sure to subscribe to enjoy more content!

If you enjoyed this video, please hit the LIKE button, and share with your friends and family! My goal is “to achieve 1,000,000 subscribers by January 2023”, so your help would mean a lot!

#onsennaked #kyotoonsen #privateonsen #onsenryokan #howtoonsen

[EiKk__]

Actually those rules are almost the same as the common Finnish sauna etiquette. It's normal for people to be naked or only covered with a small towell in sauna. It's also polite to wash yourself before entering sauna. Cleaning the sauna or showering area after use, is also in the good manners. Cheers from Finland!

[NrsArea]

I think you are greatly giving foreigners a real look into Japanese culture, by not just giving us facts but actually explaining the reasoning behind so that we actually get to understand the culture and things explained in each video

[RazorChrist]

This was something I've always wanted to experience, but I've always heard they have strict rules against people with tattoos. And being covered with tattoos, that kinda kills it for me. But I've been reading recently that there have been a number of tattoo-friendly onsen that are popping up in Japan. So maybe my dream isn't quite dead yet. Thank you for the quick etiquette lesson!

[trinsit]

Rule 4 is my favorite aspect of Japanese culture. It drives me crazy that people don't put things back where they got them. If the cultural norm was to do this, then every once in a while forgetting wouldn't be so big a deal. Here in America, almost no one cares.

[portalkey]

I found that the rules are practical and makes sense when dipping in a shared space - being mindful of others and the place. Thank you for this video, Shogo!

[Chichi-slmq]

the shower rules should be universal.... my worst experience at a boarding school was when everyone was rushing for morning study around 3am and there was no time or space for privacy, there was water and soap everywhere, and deep down you knew the water or foam on your body wasn't yours

[csjames]

When I was a kid living in Japan, my grandmother came to look after my younger brother and I. We were aged 9 and 5. My grandmother took us to the local bath house. Being kids, we had fun swimming in the bath and carrying on like kids do. My grandmother was bathing in the women's sections obviously she could hear us mucking around and she told us off. This was fifty years ago. It was fun!

[nae_on]

As someone with a huge fear of naked people, I am so thankful that there are private onsen too. I really hope I can go on a trip to Japan somewhere in the future

[stephaniesitu]

The first onsen I went to was actually in a hotel in Kyoto. There indeed are a lot of rules. The one that stood out to me to the most are no tattoos since they are associated with the yakuza. In my tour group, one girl had to go into a room by herself since she had a tattoo.

[LetsaskShogo]

*7:12~ 7. Do not let your hair in the bathtub

I apologize that I didn't make it clear enough... "hair" here means the hair growing from the head. Any other body hair wouldn't be considered a problem. And although many of you have pointed out that "public hair" might be more dirty, it's interesting but I think no Japanese have ever even considered that before... Anyways, body hair will not be a problem, only the hair on our heads!

So far I've made videos about manners for eating food, and this one about onsen rules. Are there anything else you would like to know more about?

▼Who is Shogo? What is this channel about?▼

▼Related videos in this channel▼
-[Kyoto Hidden Gems] A private ryokan & open-air bath near Kyoto station! Hotel “季楽 藍 Kiraku Ai"

-5 tips for polite Japanese table manners! How to be a better guest at a Japanese restaurant

-4 most important things I was taught as a child by my Japanese parents! Kids education in Japan

▼MY DREAM▼
“To make every Japan lovers’ dream come true,
by making Japan a more secure, comfortable, and safer place for everyone to visit, study, and live in”

I will be using the profit I gain from this channel at restaurants, hotels, and cultural facilities in Kyoto to introduce them.

The more you watch the videos on this channel, Kyoto and Japan will become a more exciting place, and you can support your own and others’ dreams in the future even more.

▼Join our Membership▼

●Membership benefits
-Limited behind-the-scene videos
-Weekly live stream
-Priority reply to comments

Every single yen we earn from this membership, we will be donating to groups of people who are fighting to solve social problems in Japan, the Japanese schools where foreign students can study, or use it to spread the works of people working with traditional culture in Japan to preserve the arts they are doing.

▼[Sub-channel] “Shogo’s Podcast”▼
Please subscribe!!

The perfect channel to learn about Japanese culture and history in your spare time, during your walk to school or work, and when you are cooking or doing house chores.

Not only will I be covering the topics in this main channel, but also some topics that you will only be able to enjoy in the sub-channel, like answering questions I receive, and my opinions towards some of the comments.

▼[Listen to the real voices of the Japanese] "Voices from Japan series"▼
…

▼[For YOU traveling to Kyoto] Check out the "Kyoto Hidden Gems" that we introduce▼

▼Instagram▼
*Please ask me questions through the DM here!（⚠️I do not use e-mail）

▼Shogo’s profile▼
Hello everyone, and thank you for watching my videos!

I’m Shogo, a Kyoto born & Hiroshima raised Japanese, that grew up in Michigan USA for 6 years, and studied Mandarin in Beijing university for a year!
I live in Kyoto now, as I train in Iaido(katana), Sado(tea ceremony), and Noh theatre(traditional stage art).

In this channel, you can take a closer look at Japanese traditional culture, tips on traveling to Kyoto, and social problems in Japan.
So learners and lovers of Japanese language and culture, be sure to subscribe to enjoy more content!

If you enjoyed this video, please hit the LIKE button, and share with your friends and family!
My goal is “to achieve 1, 000, 000 subscribers by January 2023”, so your help would mean a lot!

[dickburns]

I was in Japan for a couple of years in the navy. I love EVERYTHING about Japan. People, culture, food, religion, nature. Unfortunately I didn’t have an onsen experience. Maybe next time.

[MeijiAcademy]

Shogo-san, thank you for this detailed summary on Japan's wonderful Onsen（温泉）& Sentou（銭湯）Culture♨
Recently a new Onsen Rule called MOKU-YOKU（黙浴）became popular. "Silent Bathing" without talking to other people to prevent the spreading of COVID-19. Happy Bathing everybody!🙌

[letsart]

I love his English accent. It's like, most of the time, he sounds very american and just a little hint of a japanese accent, but then certain words he says exactly how a native English speaker would say it. For example, when he said manner. He nailed it!
If this is weird and random, I'm learning Japanese and I'm curious about people's accents who are native English speakers speaking japanese and vice versa

[JurrBTful]

I can just imagine Shogo-san standing there, in front of the onsen; "I understand that it is quite and all the French, Dutch, German, Danish, Swedish, Icelandic (I can go on), tourists standing there already butt-naked... "Ja Herr Shogo, can we jump in already?"


Sauna culture in (most) West-EU countries (I know) is you go nude and it's mixed. And nobody beats an eye, and it's completely normal...

[navigator]

I like how the rules for onsen are based on respect for others, so I will consider adding that activity to my agenda if I am ever in Japan.

[Snofey]

I’m from Finland and our Sauna culture has many similarities with japanese onsen. In public sauna you have to remember hygiene rules too and bathing suits are not allowed either. So when I first visited onsen during my student exchange, it really wasn’t a problem to undress in front of strangers. My classmate was kind to come with me and explain the rules for me. Without her I wouldn’t have realized that I was expected to cover my tattoo. Luckily I had only one small tattoo that was easy to cover with bandage but that was quite surprising 🤔

[Freiya]

I just love how other people are always taken into consideration! Our Western cultures should really reintroduce that mindset! It would make living together so much more pleasant - and easier!

[skytrail]

Visiting an onsen is definitely on my to do list! Your videos always provide useful information, and I want to use them to help plan a trip in the future. I am relieved to hear there are private onsen options; it makes me feel more comfortable since I am overweight.

[rollinggoronable]

For anyone with tattoos, Mt. Kurama has a pretty nice public onsen. Everyone seemed to at least not mind the tats. Got to have the full experience, which i was scared i wasnt going to be able to do

[yorkaturr]

As a Finnish person I was born in a sauna and pretty much grew up in one as well. Onsen etiquette sounds relatable.