Okay, I have a couple of questions. What preparation does a Japanese home bath require? When people take turns in the bath, do they have to prepare the bath for each person? Or do they just use the same water? Honestly the idea of reusing bath water seems gross to me. I know Japanese people wash before getting into the tub. But people sweat in hot water, and some people, mostly little kids, pee in it.
This is mostly from watching anime, but japanese baths are hotter than our hot water, and have their own heating system. You have to start them up and then wait for them to be ready. Families will often use the same hot water to save time, water, and energy. Like you say, they wash before they get in. It's considered on the same level as drinking from the same glass, you just don't worry about it with family. Some family members might insist that they won't use the same bath water, but this would usually be put in a story to indicate that they aren't very close, maybe they have a strained relationship, or a child is in a rebellious phase.
