裸になろう！

On the topic of nudity in Japan, I suppose the first thing that comes to mind is public bathing at onsen and sento. Like a lot of foreigners my first experience (at a lovely spacious onsen up in Hokkaido overlooking a volcano) was a little awkward, moreso for the fact that I was there with a number of classmates and my Japanese teacher. Even now I tend to feel more relaxed when there are fewer friends and acquaintances around me at an onsen, although it's an activity I've come to enjoy quite a lot - I just wish there were some decent ones closer to the dormitory.

From various accounts it seems that mixed bathing was the norm in earlier days, until Western people arrived and expressed their shock and surprise at such apparent lewdness. Back in a time when plumbing and plentiful hot water weren't an everyday commodity it's quite understandable that people would put aside any shame or reservedness about nudity and enjoy a hot bath with whoever else may have been present.

There are a few other related topics I'd like to write about, such as pornography and shunga, although for the moment I may have to save that for another time.