How do you wash your oshiri in an onsen?

I know it sounds weird, but I'm going to Japan in the spring, and we will be able to go to some onsen. But how does one wash their oshiri there? I mean, I know how to do it here at home, but how do you do that in public? You do have to do it, right?

On a side note, one of my friends that is going wants to know if it's okay to go without the towel. He's **very** open...

But how does one wash their oshiri there?

Just in the same way as you wash the rest of your body.

On a side note, one of my friends that is going wants to know if it's okay to go without the towel.

I can only speak about the situation in the men's bath. There are many men who don't cover up anything. But even if they don't cover up, they usually bring the small towel. It is part of onsen bathing to bring the small towel. But don't put the towel into the water.

nobody covers up when going to the ofuro. I mean there are kids there and everything. Nudity is very natural in Japan.

I have been to all kinds of onsen across the country, and I would estimate that more than half of the men use their small towel to "enhance privacy" while outside the bath.

As a female, I must admit that I don't wash my oshiri in a public bath as obviously as I do at home! Other ladies seem to do it pretty simply too! But you just have to do it. Just do it as elegantly as possible. You don't want to get the tub dirty!

About the towel, it is a courtesy to the users in the dressing room to wipe your self roughly before leaving the bath room. Just take it in. It's not a hassle and the towels designed for public baths are very thin, light and easy to dry.

I thought the oshiri is supposed to be washed 'before' you actually enter the onsen, at the showers place.

Isn't that so?

If someone is actually washing their behind in the same onsen as I am, in a situation where the bottom of my face is touching the water, I think I'll go and splash water at that person. But on a serious note, I will definitely leave the bath immediately.

I think that people, at least in this forum, tend to use the word "onsen" to mean "a bath facility including dressing room, faucet, shower and tub with onsen substances springing out". And in the context of this thread, I think most people are talking about washing oshiri at the shower/faucet area of an onsen bath room.

I take a shower in the morning and, when in Japan, a bath in the evening so I consider myself to be pretty clean most of the day, but I usually make a show of washing myself properly when getting into an onsen as I want to make sure that the locals understand that I understand the onsen bathing rules.
This got a bit of a pain when I visited Naruko Onsen and visited 6 baths the same morning ^_^;;

is I presume a religious practice (either Buddhism or Shinto), or are you supposed to do this in general?

I was reading the Wil Ferguson article on Kinkazan Island and when he stayed at the shrine overnight, he said to do this. I presume it's OK to bathe after dinner otherwise e.g., at ryokans.

- is I presume a religious practice (either Buddhism or Shinto), or are you supposed to do this in general?

I don't think it's a religious practice. I simply think it's natural that in the days when there were no air-conditioning and paved streets, people prefered to get yourself clean and reset yourself from the hard labor of the daytime and get set for a nice relaxing dinner. Even today, this practice is soothing unless you're expecting a business dinner or something and your "day" is not done yet or you're so hungry you can't wait. For example, if I go to a hike in the hills or a swim at the beach in a resort area, I wouldn't want to wait until dinner is finished to wash off the sweat and dirt.

"Dinner or bath?" is a typical question a wife is supposed to ask to a husband when he comes home from work.

Thanks UCO for explaining it. In fact, I do actually want to ask - even if one is washing their oshiri in the onsen's shower area, wouldn't it look awkard if the guy stuck their hand into their crack and started rubbing it, infront of everyone? I'm actually being serious, because eitherway - its kind of unhygienic.


My 2nd question is - if the husband comes out really late at say 9:30pm or 10:30pm, would they generally prefer to bath first or eat first? I'm very curious about this, as I wonder if this is more like random choice rather than a fixed preference?

Regarding your latest post on your crack, that is exactly what this thread is all about.

About the bath and dinner, it's not a fixed preference, and that's why the wives ask.

So...is there no real way to clean your oshiri in the bath? Do you just discreetly stick your hand back there and wash it? What about taking a bath up in the room first and then going to the onsen?

whats an oshiri?

oshiri = butt

Wash your hands with plenty of soap and warm water after washing your body and it is as hygenic as washing at home. It can make us feel self conscious, but no one is watching closely and they would rather know you're being thorough. That's my take on public washing.

You know, I've wondered why my Japanese wife always asks me when I get home from work if I want to take a shower before we eat. Now I know, it's traditional! I agree that it does give me chance to unwind & have a little quiet time before dinner, kid's homework, etc.
As far as towels when going from the washing are to the tub at the onsen, I take the small towel but don't cover up. About 50% of the Japanese men covered up. But then, I spent 8 years in the military where you had no privacy in the shower and don't have the typical American problem with nudity around others of the same sex.

When I stayed with host families/my friend's family, we always bathed after tea, before bed ^^;;;. Usually the husband, then the kids, then the wife - though I sometimes was offered a bath first since I was a guest.

In the female onsen, people don't generally watch you as you're bathing (sometimes children or curious Japanese women will, since you're a foreigner, though) so I don't think it's really a big deal. I say, if you're worried, just go over the area smoothly and don't linger there for a while. That would probably bring attention.
Like if you have an itch, for the sake of all gaijin, don't scratch it!

I've wondered about this too, but from a logistical standpoint. How do you wash what you're sitting on?