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.
Comments
pubic denial.
Posted by: ma | October 19, 2006 8:54 PM
f*$k Whitecastle that place sucks
Posted by: oldefezziwig | October 20, 2006 4:54 AM
f*$k Whitecastle that place sucks
It may suck (never been there), but the movie is genius. You should know...
Posted by: Justin | October 20, 2006 10:39 AM
Are you going to support your argument with photos?
As for women's pools, I was an onsen regular and never saw any pubes (thank god). I peeked at my fellow onsen goers and noted that the females do indeed trim.
You were still not in Japan during the World Cup. Apparently Japanese women were so enamoured by that Beckham dude and his hairstyle then, that the most popular downstairs 'do for women became the familiar mohawk dyed red.
I am not able to confirm this by personal onsen sightings.
Posted by: Maktaaq | October 20, 2006 9:49 PM
If you have come to the point where you are writing about the public hair of the Japanese I think it is time for you to come home....seriously.
p.s. this was amazingly interesting to me since I always assumed japanese people to be lightly haired people - not in color but in quantitiy.
Posted by: Michelle | October 21, 2006 10:49 AM
I nearly married a woman who was more hairy (in some respects and areas) that I was.
But at least I had the larger breasts.
Posted by: Ibadairon | November 8, 2006 7:31 PM
(Whoa! I didn't really mean to post that! Ack!)
Posted by: Ibadairon | November 8, 2006 7:32 PM
(Of the four "facts" in the preceding two comments, only two were really true: I nearly did marry her and we did once discuss a liposuction-transplant.)
Posted by: IbaDaiRon | November 10, 2006 3:52 AM
I have seen my fair share of porn and I have noticed that Japanese women usually have thick dark pubic hair but to me, it looks like they trim the sides/bikini line,
Posted by: Katie | March 1, 2009 6:41 PM