Think, for instance, of the many movie scenes of a couple out walking or hiking finding, a small lake and throwing off their clothes to plunge in or, even better, a man or group of men out in the woods, suddenly coming across a group of naked girls swimming!
In Japan the tradition requires thorough washing before entering the baths and no clothes are permitted, but everyone carries a small towel. The huge hot spring resort of Ibusiki, south of Kagoshima, every year hosts 3 million bathers and nearly a million stay overnight. In the largest establishment with 29 baths, 22 are for men including suni-mushi , hot sand-buryings and only seven for women. I noticed many of the men gazing through the greenery at the women on the other side in pools slightly below!
Figure 1. In some onsen, all the baths are mixed sex and in others, that is only permitted after, say 9 p. In the mountains of Wakayama, there is a famous spot in the river called Kawayu [river-hot water] where volcanic hot water mixes with rainwater and at certain times of year, when the temperature is bearable, the whole river becomes a senninburo [a thousand-person bath] and families and couples flock there to bath in the darkness, leaving their clothes and towels scattered along the banks Figure 2.
Conversely some onsen and onsen ryokan see below , offer private single person or family sized baths where couples or families can bathe at any time if it is attached to their room or, if separate, when they book it.
Figure 2. Relaxing in a rotenburo in the rain or snow is considered one of the most romantic experiences in life! Figure 3. Outdoor bath, rotenburo, Lake Kussharo Ryokan, Hokkaido. Holiday makers usually stay only a night or two; when they arrive, they are shown to their tatami room [straw mat floors, no beds, just a mattress and futon ], they change out of their workaday clothes and put on the traditional yukata [thin cloth robe, no underwear] and if it is cold, a haori [short over-kimono] and then walk to the bath s.
