I know this may not be something you want to read, but I have to speak up. It's an oft-mentioned but rarely* blogged topic: Japanese Pubic Hair.
In Japan, grooming of pubic hair doesn't seem to be a top priority. In fact, it's not a priority at all, since nobody seems to do it. If you're stuck back in the west without access to a public bath for evidence, just go out and download some amply-available Japanese porn and see for yourself. The porn reflects the reality, I can tell you that. If you're here in Japan, I'm sure you know exactly what I'm talking about.
It's as if out-of-control bush carries with it some sort of unspoken bragging rights. I go to the gym almost every day during the week, which involves public bathing. Not like I'm actively checking out other men's equipment, but it's kind of obvious when there's friggin pubic bonsai** springing out at you. I apologize; bonsai are finely-trimmed, carefully-controlled things of beauty. The bush of pube, so to speak, is obviously not. Apparently people are more concerned about pruning said miniature trees. And why not? Not like anyone (including wives and girlfriends) is actually going to look...
The end result is that everywhere you go you'll find pubes. This is especially true in public toilets and baths. I can't vouch for women but I imagine it's not any different. Go to a urinal, and most of them are probably festooned with pubage. The floor of the gym's bathroom, though cleaned hourly, is frightening for its array of pubic hairs. I remember going to an onsen last year with a friend's visiting boyfriend in tow, and we had to apologize to him and explain that usually we don't have to refer to the baths as "pube pools." To this day, the place is known in our circle as "that place with all the pubes."
I wonder how such a fastidious nation could have developed such a disregard for that particular area?
Footnotes:
*I completely made this up. I have no idea if anyone has blogged about this.
**blatantly stolen from the most excellent film, Harold and Kumar go to Whitecastle.