A Japanese hot spring. This photo is unrelated to the article. [123rf]
A Japanese hot spring. This photo is unrelated to the article. [123rf]

A Korean YouTuber who visited a hot spring in Kamifurano, Hokkaido, Japan, has drawn controversy after footage emerged of her filming inside a mixed-gender bath where photography is prohibited — with other bathers present.

Screenshots from the video, which YouTuber A posted in January, have recently been circulating across multiple online communities in South Korea.

The video was uploaded in January under the title "My first mixed-gender bath and outdoor nude bath experience in Hokkaido." It shows A visiting an open-air mixed-gender bath in Kamifurano, Hokkaido, and bathing there.

The controversy centers on footage shot inside the mixed-gender bath. Despite the facility's no-photography policy, A brought a camera into the bath and filmed the interior while other guests were present.

In the video, A acknowledged the restriction, saying she had assumed filming was normally impossible because the bath was always crowded — yet continued to record.

She then said another guest was filming despite the ban. "There was someone filming without caring at all whether I came in or not, even though photography is not allowed," she said. "So I decided to join in and enjoy it together." The remarks suggest she filmed because she saw another bather doing the same.

As the video regained attention online, criticism mounted that visitors must respect the photography rules at hot spring facilities.

Critics also raised privacy concerns about filming in a mixed-gender bath, where other bathers could be captured on camera. The video shows the upper bodies of several adult men partially exposed.

Online commenters reacted with remarks such as "This is an embarrassment to the country," "Just because others do it doesn't mean you should follow," and "Basic manners should be observed."


bbo@heraldcorp.com