Shared baths - footwear?

So I usually tend to take cheap flip flops on trips to use in communal shower areas at hostels. If I did this in a public bath area, would people just look at me weird or is it not allowed at all? Or am I being too anal?

Shared baths - footwear?

If you follow your concern, you will need a butt mat, too. Nobody wears them. The floors are scrubbed clean. There may have a slipping hazard if you wear them.

Shared baths - footwear?

public bath is clean and nobody wear them. Public bath has small chair (stool) for using as you wash yourself.

When you are at the entrance to the bath, you should take off your slippers and place them on the (usually available) shelves. Then you just go barefoot into the bath area. Regarding the stool, Japanese tend to rinse the stool before sitting down to wash.