Foreign nudists flock to Gunma hot spring resort

Where is the most famous hot spring in Japan, where naked foreigners wade in the mixed-sex “roten” (outdoor) baths?

It’s Takaragawa Onsen located in the renowned Minakami hot spring village in Gunma, a 150-minute drive from Tokyo. The facility boasts 4 open-air baths in its vast property, of which 3 are “konyoku” (mixed bathing). A facility staff member comments, “There isn’t a single day that we don’t have foreign customers. But they walk everywhere naked and it’s quite embarrassing.”

A Caucasian couple appears. The naked man, with a can of beer in one hand, is already looking tipsy while the woman has herself wrapped in a towel that still exposes her breasts and buttocks.

A frequent visitor from Tokyo in his 50s describes the scene. “It seems they feel less inhibited when there are more fellow nudists. Even the women who come covered in towels – they get naked in no time at all.”

Two customers from Saitama in their 40s, who said this was their third visit to the onsen, were obviously enjoying the sight. “This is about the only place where you can have a close encounter with naked blond-haired women. It appears that the hair on the head may be blond but the color below could be different,” laughed one.

Since when did this remote onsen resort become a paradise for foreigners?

Yoshio Ono, president of Osenkaku, which manages Takaragawa Onsen, explains that there had been many foreign customers from before, such as Philippe Troussier, former coach to the Japanese national soccer team. “However, the number of foreign customers has increased from late last year, and there are weekdays when over 70% of our guests are from overseas. They’re well-mannered too,” he says.

According to research conducted by an international tour information company, Takaragawa Onsen has been chosen in Spain as the third most popular Japanese tour spot. In other countries as well, this facility is ranked as the most popular hot spring resort.

But there is another reason why, besides the popularity among foreigners, this phenomenon of naked foreigners walking everywhere is attracting so much public attention.

When searching on the Internet by typing in TAKARAGAWA ONSEN in English, numerous nudist sites show up. For example, one website named “Nudist Resort” has a message board with a posted comment referring to the facility as “convenient with explanations provided in English.”
It can be speculated that such information is spreading across nudist communities around the world – hence the flocking of nudists to Takaragawa Onsen.

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Latest 15 of 58 Total Comments Show All

kidoave at 12:29 PM JST - 10th June

go to Europe, it is normal in Germany, Sweden etc to have nudist hot bath...why it become exaggerated here in Japan.
beavis at 12:36 PM JST - 10th June

@jeffrey

Ah yes. The conundrum of mismatch drapes and carpet.

That is hilarious!
m0l0 at 12:20 AM JST - 11th June

they make it sound like theres a secret gaijin onsen appreciation society
kirakira25 at 01:05 AM JST - 11th June

go to Europe, it is normal in Germany, Sweden etc to have nudist hot bath...why it become exaggerated here in Japan.

Do you really need it spelled out for you???!
Maria at 08:23 AM JST - 11th June

Where in the article does it state (or even suggest) that these guests are wlking naked anywhere outside the bathing/changing area?

It doesn't.

Their worst crime is not being embarrassed - how dare they! them with their big bodies!

As nudists, they probably keep to the hygiene rules better than most - sitting on your towel etc.
Potsu at 09:26 AM JST - 11th June

"FLOCKING" there...so probably 3 old leatherbacks ?
ultradodgy at 03:35 PM JST - 11th June

Rubbish. I've been there many times and while there are some foreigners, there are hardly tons of them - and most if not all are much more shy than the Japanese (as one could quite easily expect).
shiratori at 04:29 PM JST - 11th June

Why don`t they make a separate hot springs for men and women, if they are so embarrassed?
888naff at 07:14 PM JST - 11th June

I wonder..

Invited, organized? (there are plenty of organized nude places - an onsem isnt one, well not outside the pool that is as suggested in this story. Is the owner happy about this?)

or

taking advantage ignoring the local customs? (not the firts time for some types of tourist that can be abroad but you wouldn't know it especially with set up areas, ghettos representing home in some countries)
Patrick Smash at 11:06 PM JST - 12th June

A standard onsen is pretty close to my idea of hell. A room full of naked Japanese blokes, usually noisy and drunk, immersion in near-boiling water, to be followed by a large plate of inedible raw fish and the worst renditions of enka known to man. That the Japanese travel hours and spend pots of cash to experience this tells you all you really need to know about them. Bloody bonkers must of them, but not quite as far gone as the foreigners who decide this is a great way to spend the day. You'd have to be basically gay (with appalling taste) to enjoy a blokes onsen.
Bento at 10:54 PM JST - 13th June

or interested in the healing powers of the mineral rich waters,in fact the reason onsen came into existence to begin with.Westerners make the classic mistake MOST of the time..nudity=sex,sometimes its true but sometimes its not.
Fadamor at 06:29 AM JST - 14th June

Personally, if I tried to have sex in a hot spring, I know SOMETHING would burst inside me. You're stressing the circulatory system as it is by dumping yourself in very hot water. If I go to a hot spring - public OR private - I am NOT looking for nookie.
SiouxGirl at 12:18 PM JST - 14th June

Am I the first to complain that there's no accompanying pic as an example of said nudity? Actually, I really don't need one. One of my friends said, "Why is it that the ppl who should not be nude are the ones that ARE nude?" You can count me out. Because of the germs, however - not because of the nudity.
dontpanic at 06:00 PM JST - 16th June

Theres only one way to put a stop to this. I'll have to visit.
bokudayo at 01:58 PM JST - 19th June

dontpanic - either you, or this guy ---> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TH4uTAX8DGw