Should I shave for onsen?

I am going to be an exchange student in Japan. After my arrival, an orientation with other students will be held. I heard that there won't be separete bathrooms but a shared onsen. Should I shave my public hair? I heard that Japanese don't shave it but I will share the onsen with international students. What do you think?

Are you a man or a woman?

I can't speak for the other gender, but as a male, I shave some parts and manage others. I don't really pay too much attention to others' areas, and I imagine is likely the same for others as well. I feel like the majority of guys don't shave much, if anything at all, and I would also imagine you would get some looks if you got rid of everything, on the men's side.

Sorry, I don't know if this helps. Are you going to sharing facilities with only foreigners? Are the facilities limited to those living in the resident halls? I would go with a conservative approach and adjust as you feel comfortable.

What is "public hair"? You don't mean "pubic hair", do you? It will be quite embarrassing if you have your pubic hair shaved. At least that's how it is in Japan.

If you are a male, you aren't expected to have anything shaved except your beard. On the other hand, most young females in Japan have everything shaved except her head hair and pubic hair.

Hi, shaved lady here.

Most Japanese women I've seen at onsen or sentos don't shave, most of the times I was the only one who had shaved.
But I don't think anyone cares, it's just personal preference.
Just do whatever you like best, don't overthink it, it's no big deal :)

You'll probably feel uncomfortable the first few times if you are not used to being naked around another people (whether you choose to shave or not) but after a while you will get used to it.

It's really up to you, no one else but you will care.