Can trans people use sentō, Japanese public baths?

Bathing naked with strangers is pretty normal in Japan. I'm speaking of the public bathhouses, or sentō, found in many city neighborhoods.

I enjoy going to our local sentō here in Nagoya, although I have some discomfort and complicated feelings as a transmasculine person. I'll share my experience with public bathhouses, but first, what is a sentō?

The long history of public baths in Japan started way before indoor plumbing or baths and showers in one's own house. People attended bathhouses, well, to take a bath and clean themselves.

The Story of “Sentō”: A History of Public Bathhouses in Japan

Public bathhouses have long been popular in Japan, for reasons of community as much as hygiene. But when did they first emerge and how have they changed over the years? This article provides an overview of the history of sentō.

nippon.com

Bathhouses historically started out "mixed" - men and women bathing in the same facility - but the shogunate and Western influences during the 1800s caused most mixed bathhouses to be banned. Instead, bathhouses were built with men's and women's sides, with separate baths and changing areas for each.