My partner and I are very excited to be visiting Japan for the first time this coming October. We've been looking forward to this for years! The main thing we will be doing is an 11 day guided backpacking tour from Kyoto to Tokyo with the company Walk Japan. What really drew me to this experience was that it is off the beating path, and we will get the chance to stay at many traditional Japanese inns.
Here's the problem. Many of the places we will be staying along the trip only have public bathrooms and onsens. My partner is transgender and passes as cisgender in all scenarios (no top surgery scars, has been on T for over 10 years, full beard) aside from perhaps a public bathouse. From the Walk Japan website, I have found that some of the inns have private baths for an extra fee for people with tattoos (we both also have those) and I'm sure we will make use of those when possible, but I'm not sure what to do in other scenarios where that is not an option.
Obviously the most helpful people in this situation would be the tour guide we are with or someone at the agency, but I am concerned about confiding in a tour guide that's transphobic and being stuck with them for 11 days.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated! We are both really looking forward to the tip 🙂
by Frogs_in_b0gs