Feb 23 (the-japan-news.com) - Onsen and hot spring resorts with konyoku mixed-gender bathing facilities have been feeling the pinch of late, as customers become increasingly reticent about stripping off to take a dip with strangers.
To counter this trend, many such establishments have started requesting that patrons partially cover up when taking to the water, in hopes it will help persuade people back to mixed communal pools.
A decline in customer manners is among the reasons cited for konyoku’s fall from favor.
“By encouraging the use of bathing garments, we’re hoping people’s concerns will be eased so they can again enjoy konyoku culture, irrespective of generation or gender,” an industry official said.
At Sukayu Onsen resort in Aomori — located in an area with the heaviest snowfall in the country — men and women of all ages soaked happily in the konyoku onsen at “Hiba Sennin Buro” (1,000-person bath) in late January.
Men wore knee-length pants, while women sported similar lower-half coverings and sleeveless tops. “Put simply, I don’t have to worry about being ogled,” said a woman in her 20s from Chiba Prefecture. “I can just kick back and enjoy the onsen.”
Sukayu Onsen presently has women-only bathing times in the mornings and evenings. However, with an eye on creating a mixed-gender bathing space that can be enjoyed by everyone, the facility recently began asking patrons to wear bathing garments to see if it would attract more visitors, regardless of the session times. If customers react positively to the experiment, the facility may consider adopting the idea permanently.
