Politixia
Visiting an onsen or hot spring appears on almost every list of Japan’s best experiences. However, it can be daunting for trans and nonbinary individuals. Many onsen require full nudity and are set up in a binary way, with separate spaces designated for “Men” and “Women.”
No one should miss out on having a soak because of their gender identity, so here GayCities‘ guide to finding LGBTQ+-friendly onsen and a look at how local activists are shaking things up and making onsen culture more inclusive. Let’s jump on in (or rather, dip a toe and mosey in slowly because Japan’s thermal waters are steamy).
What to expect from a traditional Japanese onsen
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Japan is located on the Pacific Ring of Fire, home to almost three-quarters of the world’s volcanoes and 90% of its earthquakes. That might make it sound like Mordor, but it also gives it the massive advantage of having thermal waters percolating underground. The sources are known as onsen or hotsprings, and there are an estimated 25,000 in Japan.
People have used these hot waters for bathing for centuries. Onsen are mentioned in one of Japan’s oldest books, the Nihon Shoki, or Chronicles of Japan, which was first published in 720 CE.
For most of their history, onsen were not divided by gender. It was believed that people developed a special kind of platonic relationship, called “hadaka no tsukiai” or naked friendship, when they met without the disguise of their clothes. Only from the late 1800s, under the influence of Western codes of morality, did gender-segregated baths appear.
Today, most traditional onsen continue to be gender-segregated. However, there are over 3,000 hot spring establishments throughout the country, and they take many forms.
Related:
Types of Japanese hot springs
- Public onsen: Towns often have public bathhouses. Before indoor plumbing became widespread, these would have been locals’ only place to wash. They are divided into men’s and women’s sections, and you go in fully nude.
- Ryokan onsen: Many guesthouses, or ryokan, have onsen for their guests. Men and women are separated, and no swimwear is allowed.
- Mixed-gender baths (konyoku): These onsen are usually outdoors and located in remote areas surrounded by nature. While many are nude, using a towel for more discretion is permitted (and sometimes encouraged).
- Western-style onsen resorts: These feel like waterparks and sometimes have saunas, spa facilities, or waterslides. Most have gender-segregated changing rooms, but these are generally large and have individual shower cabins if you want privacy.
- Private baths (kashikiriburo or kazokuburo): Also known as family baths, you can rent these by the hour and get them all for yourself.
- Foot baths (ashiyu): Generally found in towns with their own thermal water source, these communal foot baths are free of charge, so everyone can dip their tootsies.
Public onsen and onsen in ryokan are the least inclusive when it comes to trans and nonbinary folks. Some individuals report being met with unpleasantness when they didn’t enter the section corresponding to the gender they were assigned at birth or even having the police called.
However, if you choose a remote outdoor bath or a spa resort or book a private bath, you will unlikely face any issues.
4 trans and nonbinary-friendly onsen
Amongst mixed and queer-friendly onsens, these names come highly recommended.
Kirishimaya Ryokan, Kusatsu Onsen
Kusatsu Onsen is one of Japan’s most popular onsen towns. Set in the Japanese Alps, Kusatsu is a cluster of old wooden buildings surrounding a yubatake, or hot water field, where you can see the hot spring gushing out of the rock.
The best place to stay is Kirishimaya Ryokan, an inn that dates back to the Meiji era. It has beautiful Japanese interiors and onsen baths that are “tattoo friendly and rainbow friendly.” Local transfolk describe it as a little haven, as it offers free private baths and the possibility of privatizing the main bath in quiet times.
Trees surround the inn, and travelers can enjoy the sight of cherry blossoms in spring and golden leaves in the fall, from the comfort of their rooms.
Ashiyu Café & Bar Donyoku, Tokyo
Shinjuku Ni-chōme is the heart of Tokyo’s gay scene, and one of its most popular venues is the Ashiyu Café & Bar Donyoku. Opened in 2018 by three queer women, the venue is filled with LGBTQ+ books and artwork. There are also footbaths and reflexology guides if you want to give yourself a massage.
Soaking your feet might not give you the full onsen experience. Still, enjoying a glass of sake or a cocktail with your feet in the water in an inclusive environment is worth a visit. And with a menu featuring baked camembert, vegan banh mi, and local plum wine, there’s something to please everyone.
Spa Resort Hawaiins, Fukushima
The Hawaiian theme presents a cultural conundrum, especially the questionable shirts and muumuus that guests are given to use as robes on their way to the pools. That being said, many queer visitors describe Spa Resort Hawaiians as a friendly environment.
If you stay in the adjoining four-star hotel, you can bypass the gender-segregated changing rooms and head straight to the co-ed sauna and pools or have a go on what they claim to be the largest waterslide in Japan.
Mizunashi-Kaihin Hot Spring, Hakodate
An onsen in the ocean sounds like it comes from famed Japanese filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki’s imagination. Locals call Mizunashi-Kaihin the “magic hot spring” because the stone bathtub only appears for a few hours a day when the tide is low. Then, you can soak in the hot waters before dipping in the ocean.
It is a beautiful experience in the middle of nature and popular with locals. The pool is co-ed, and people usually wear bathing suits.
The four-star La Vista Hakodate Bay Annex, in the nearby port town of Hakodate, is a luxurious place to stay while you explore the area. Each room has its own private hot pool, overlooking the city lights. The restaurant serves high-end Japanese and Western seafood dishes.
The push for inclusivity in Japan’s onsen culture & beyond
For trans and gender expansive travelers, it can be challenging to find a welcoming onsen, and perhaps even more disheartening for local trans and nonbinary people, who desire to experience such an integral part of Japanese life.
LGBTQ+ activists have started to bring the topic to the mainstream. In 2018, the city of Beppu, also known as Japan’s “hot spring capital,” hosted the “Rainbow Furoject,” a one-day event aimed at developing relationships between LGBTQ+ individuals and allies and discussing ways to make baths more accessible. Many suggestions were made to make onsens more inclusive, including separating baths not by sex but by blood type. Blood type is a prominent subject in Japan; some believe it determines your personality and temperament.
Although not much has changed for onsen since 2018, overall, LGBTQ+ visibility in Japan is gaining traction. In 2024, three top courts ruled that the ban on same-sex marriage was unconstitutional, paving the way for the legalization of same-sex marriage. Also, last year, a court ruled that it was unconstitutional to require citizens to be sterilized before they can officially change gender.
Hopefully, these landmark rulings will have a trickle-down effect on LGBTQ+ rights in the country, all the way down to onsen’s bubbling waters.
Eloise Stark is a travel journalist specializing in sustainable, positive-impact adventures. She runs the blog Short Cuts and Side Quests.
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