Getting naked??

Perfectly normal. Just shrug it off. But don't stare at women (or men) or you might offend them.

Glenski said:

For those of you who are embarrassed to strip down in front of the same gender, how do you feel about visiting a sports gym in your own country and using the shower or sauna there? Just curious.

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I used to hesitate to strip down even with the same gender in gyms/sauna etc. That was mostly because I wasn't that happy or confident about my body. Now that I'm older I simply accept me and my lumps or my un-lumps () as they are, and really don't care about what happens in the dressing room of a gym or sauna or so. I think it's also because I've seen so many different kinds of female bodies and upreciate and respect the variety - I'm just one of them. In a way it's the same for me to see a male body - it's "just" a body, and I'm used to going to sauna with my family for example.

But there's something different here, of me going to Japan, getting naked infront of my bf and his friends and their girlfriends. I am somehow way too conscious of me, and the flaws I think I have, the differences my body has compared to theirs etc. It is grately because I am the only gaijin there.. and I have always just admired the beauty of the Japanese. I will feel so ugly.. I am terrified of what they will think of me etc, especially because I am meeting these people for the first time! It sounds really superficial and ridiculous but I just can't help it, and am scared my stressing will ruin the experience for me.

But, apparently there's is no turning back now - If I have understood right our onsen trip is allready planned and sorted out
So, maybe, just maybe, I'll share my experiences in this thread after I'm back from Japan in 2,5 weeks I will try to be brave!

Chipi said:

But there's something different here, of me going to Japan, getting naked infront of my bf and his friends and their girlfriends. I am somehow way too conscious of me, and the flaws I think I have, the differences my body has compared to theirs etc. It is grately because I am the only gaijin there.. and I have always just admired the beauty of the Japanese. I will feel so ugly.. I am terrified of what they will think of me etc, especially because I am meeting these people for the first time! It sounds really superficial and ridiculous but I just can't help it, and am scared my stressing will ruin the experience for me.

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I completely understand, Chipi.

Perhaps one way to reduce your stress for this upcoming event is to contact the other people of your gender, introduce yourself through email or phone, and explain briefly your feelings of discomfort. Then, ask them straight out what they plan to do. It may be on their minds as well, and you might have a pleasant surprise in learning what they feel is necessary to hide those private parts.

Best of luck.

Well, I haven't been yet, but I'm going to go visit several onsens with my family this fall when we go to Japan. I honestly don't think I'd have too much of a problem with being naked in front of everyone, it'll probably be my father pitching a fit...
Overall, I just think of nudity as natural, so I see no problem with running around like that.

..Haha, I have to tell this after everything I have written.. boy did we laugh

We had a long chat about the onsens yesterday, and were also checking some websites.I was really stressed about it, and because of that, I also started to make my boyfriend stressed and annoyed. After talking about it for a long time, my boyfriend finally took pen and paper and made a chart for me of the different typesof onsen...
All this time I have thought that the majority of the onsen are the Konyoku-type onsen where men and women bathe together in the same "pool". And I also had the impression in my mind that we (us and my boyfriend's friends) are going to go to onsen just like that. And from that drawing and from his explanation I finally got it! It's going to be only me&my boyfriend in the same pool, or/and me and the female friends of his. Not me and his male friends in the same pool. So it was all just a big misunderstanding!
Why it happened, is a long and complicated story but culminates to my question " so do men and women bathe together naked in a mixed onsen?" Of course my bf answered "yes", because that's the way it is. He just didn't realise that I didn't realise we are NOT going to go to one of those, because I didn't know about the different types of onsen (i had the image of there being 2 kinds of them, private ones and then the one "big" onsen)
My stupidity really,for not really finding information about onsen myself as well. But oh how I'm relieved! Now I can't wait to go! Just a lesson for all of you as well; always find more information before you make any conclusions ,and in "mixed-culture" relationships, always be more patient and keep in mind that there might be some misunderstandings

If you guys want I could post some onsen links here. And I will try to remember to tell my onsen experience here after I go there

...and sorry for the long moaning and whining..

Chipi said:

After talking about it for a long time, my boyfriend finally took pen and paper and made a chart for me of the different typesof onsen...
All this time I have thought that the majority of the onsen are the Konyoku-type onsen where men and women bathe together in the same "pool".

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Smacking myself (and you) on the forehead. No, no, no, no, no, no...

And I also had the impression in my mind that we (us and my boyfriend's friends) are going to go to onsen just like that. And from that drawing and from his explanation I finally got it! It's going to be only me&my boyfriend in the same pool, or/and me and the female friends of his. Not me and his male friends in the same pool. So it was all just a big misunderstanding!

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Isn't is fun to actually communicate about things instead of worrying about them in private? I have yet to convince my wife of that merit, but here is a prime exampe. Glad things seem to have worked out.

Just a lesson for all of you as well; always find more information before you make any conclusions ,and in "mixed-culture" relationships, always be more patient and keep in mind that there might be some misunderstandings

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An excellent take-home message. Pretty much what is in a whole book devoted to intercultural marriages that I read. Excellent book, too, even if only for the many real-life examples it has of poor communication.

Nothing is more beautiful than a naked humans body, don 't hide beauty! Be proud of it. Don't be ashamed. This should encourage people? I guess not.

I go to the onsens where the women and men are separated. I still feel a little self-conscious but its worth it. I love onsens!

Sekabin said:

I think you'll get used to it after a few times. To be honest at first I felt a bit silly walking around with a tiny square towel in front of my groin... it seemed silly to be desparately trying to hide myself only to be completely naked in the bath... but then i noticed that it seemed to be the older men who didn't bother... and i didn't want to see old LOL!

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would a 16 year old naked English boy bother you

Hope you get to go to Japan some day and find out.

Id never heard of this culture before