Question
 

There are many good places to visit in Japan.The most atractive place must be Onsen or hot spring all over Japan.
I have a questions for the people living in Europe or USA.

1)Do you have negative feeling to put your naked body without swimming wear in the hot spring tub which is big enough for 10 or more people?

The people in western countries such as Switzerland,Italy,Germany,USA enjoy hot spring wearing swiming suite,but the Japanese enjoy hot spring in naked.

I think this culture gap prevents toursits from western countries staying Japanese Onsen Ryokan(hotels).

2)Do you want to stay in Japanese hot spring hotel,if the hotel is managed by the Rits or Fourseaons?

3)Is there any good idea to make Japanese Onsen more attractive for you?
Advertisement in English may comes first. And what else?

4)Plese describe your impression on the following web site.
http://www.awara-turuya.jp/

Culturally, Americans value thier privacy more than Japanese. Being naked in front of friends or family is not as easy as it is for Japanese. The Ritz or Four Seasons has no affect on this cultural difference.

American people are going to tend to be more shy about a public bath. If you want to attract Americans, make "private" hot springs (like for a couple).

Website looks fine to me.

MMM is correct about many westerners being more shy, but I visited many onsens while in Japan, from the famous Dogo Onsen to one at a resort in Minabe to a small one not far from where I lived. I didn't feel all that embarrassed because I'm 9x over legally blind, so once I took my glasses off, I didn't see anything but blurry shapes around me!

I would suggest the following:

Have 1 person on the staff that speaks English, or signs or a brochure in English, that explain to visitors they should wash in the shower first, then get in the tub. Westerners who have lived there for a while will know this already, but a visitor on vacation may not.

Supply both hand towels and large bath towels (the ones for drying off afterward). I found that several of the Onsens I visited, including Dogo Onsen, only rented hand towels, and visitors were expected to bring their own large towel for drying off.

Explain (in the brochure, website, or in person) how the onsen is a traditional part of Japanese culture. Many western visitors want to see and experience the real Japanese culture and history, which is why shrines, temples, castles, and other such places are so popular with western visitors. If you make the onsen a part of that historical and cultural experience, rather than just taking a bath, it becomes much more interesting to western visitors.

The website looks fine, but either an English version, or buttons with pictures or easily recognized symbols would help a lot.

I don't care about the Ritz or 4 Seasons. In fact, I'd be less likely to stay in such a place for 2 reasons: I would immediately think it must be very expensive, and I would think it probably isn't a traditional Japanese style onsen, but a western one. When I go to Japan, I want to feel like I'm really in Japan, not a hotel in New York.

I'm from the US, living in Gunma, and I love being naked. Especially in hotenburos that are for both male and female.;)

But MMM is right, you want to sell more to gaijin tourists and residents of Japan, private baths are the way to go.

ps. You should post this topic again and name it "Your Feelings about being Naked Onsening"

I have never felt comfortable in them. They were usually way too hot for me, and the whole getting naked in front of strangers thing...I was never able to relax.

Part of that was a teacher at a school I worked at always tried to convince me to use the local public bath. "It's so great, and no one looks at each other or cares what you look like naked." Which is probably true for Japanese. She kept telling me how "nobody looks, don't worry" and then went on to tell me a foreign woman was a regular patron at the bathhouse she went to, and oh, what a beautiful body she had. It really was stunning, she said.... :confused:

No problems with nudity back in Australia and no problems with it here. Love a good onsen and looking forward to a big onsen season over the next few months, already got a few trips planned.