I have been to one. This places are mostly in rural areas where there is only one large bath (as in the place i was) and not to mayn tourists and hardly any foreigners. In Sukayu there was one big bath mixed and small baths seperated by gender. When i was in the mixed bath there were not many women because there was 1 hour a day only for woman. People who go there are mostly old people like nyorin said in most public sento.
I dont think its that weird, if you think about many Sauna-places in Europe. And they are not only for naturist. I was even in 1 place wich was seperated, but the people walking over the closeby bridge could fully see in the mans bath. I started laughing as one of the guys in the bath got up and waved to the people on the bridge ^^

I see... interesting stuff guys thanks! :D

Welcome.
I loved that onsen, the mixed one was alot better then the small ones. Just dont go there and expect any hot girls^^ And my friends (foreign women) told me that they got a bit stared at, so as girl you might want to choose not to go (or only in the woman only hour). Of course people will look if you are a foreigner but i never felt uncomfortable.

Thanks for the info, guys! In the onsens, the people are naked, right?

Are other places in Japan often seperated? I have heard on this site that there are some places where only Japanese people may enter, so are there places like that for only a certain sex? And how are androgynous and transgenders looked at?

I don't understand, is your condition mental or physical?

Like, are you saying you naturally look like a girl, but are really a boy? Or you are a boy who likes to crossdress? Or were you born physically different, and have "creative" genital organs?

Sorry, to ask, but I am unfamiliar with that term, and the dictionary didn't really help.

Anyway, does anyone know the reason for gender seperation? If it is ingrained in Japanese culture, then you should not criticise if it is for a good reason. But I've never actually heard of this beforer in Japan...

Yoshimi is claiming to have Gender Identity Disorder. That is, where anatomical sex (in this case female) does not match up with internal sense of gender (male, or masculine).

Transvestites are crossdressers, and fall under another category entirely and would not be the basis for the current discussion.

I am very much an egalitarian, when it comes to gender/sex. In my opinion, I feel little should be separated at all, including bathrooms. There are individual stalls. Why does it matter? And in fact, there are plenty of bathrooms in Japan that ARE unisex, with urinals and stalls both, so if anything, Japan is more enlightened about that. The bathrooms in Amanohashidate, for example, are in this pattern.

I would not say that gender separation is common in Japan when it comes to physical segregation like in the example of the bus. Rather, I think gender inequality is generally more mental, and not really different than the mental inequality in most western societies. Both men and women are pigeon-holed into roles, and in some ways this may be clearer in Japan, but in all honesty, I would say America is just as bad (but maybe less vocal about it).

Like homosexuality, transgendered individuals are much more often to be "stealth" than in western societies. They exist, but they are not visible. In Japan, my experience has been that matters relating to "alternative lifestyles" (not my term) are tolerated as long as they are low-key. There's a greater middle-ground than in western societies, so you don't have groups of religious conservatives vs. a rainbow pride parade. Straight, gay, transgendered, or gender-normative, most Japanese would find both groups to be offensive by being so gosh darn loud.

I have hardly seen bathroom wich were mixed. May i ask, wich time have you been to Amanohashidate? I have been recently and im 100% sure the bathrooms where gender seperated (maybe that was different some time ago).

Occasionally, their will be a male urinal in a female bathroom.

Saty supermarket where I used to live had one.

I do possibly think it may be an old fashioned style of thing that may no longer be included in building plans within Japan. Not sure.

In Thailand, many country area service station public toilets are flushed using a bucket of water.

I was in Amanohashidate a few weeks ago. I go pretty often, as I live only half an hour a way or so by car.

So there are parts of Japan where there isn't much separation?
I've read a bit, and it seems to vary from place to place.
Just reading up on different things to expect from Japan. :o