Clothing Optional Beach

　　Every time I visited foreign countries, I came across something new to me and they were always surprises and fun. I'd like to direct your attention to the first picture. "Clothing-Mandatory Beach" on the destination board in the picture made me a bit upset. I racked my brain over the Japanese translation of "mandatory". This word is frequently used like "continuous mandatory ventilation" in the field of respiratory management and I thought that I understood it. However, "Clothing-mandatory" was hard to comprehend. Do People have to wear their clothes during swimming around there? Or, was this something related to Islamic women? Several minutes later, I found another destination board, which is shown in the next picture. "Clothing-optional" was also new to me. I decided to walk toward the direction the signboard indicated. There were no signs like "No Trespassing". I went on and on. Abruptly, the sight of two naked women lying on the beach entered my eyes and I was so surprised. At that moment I understood what clothing meant. "Clothing" meant swimwear, and "clothing-optional" meant that nudity was allowed there. A dressed man was wandering around naked women and I just saw him with a vague spaced-out feeling, but when I saw him start to take his clothes off, I ran out of there, because I was dressed. Might there be a place where dressed people weren't allowed to step in.

(Vocabulary)
destination board / screen  行き先表示板
rack　《通例受け身形で》(肉体的・精神的に)〈人〉をひどく苦しめる
be racked by/with sth ＜…＞にさいなまれる, 苦しむ
Liza was racked by guilt. 　ライザは罪の意識にさいなまれていた．
rack your brain(s) (思い出そうと) 必死に考える, (アイデアなどを出そうと) 知恵を振り絞る
rack one's brain over the question of  ～という問題に頭を悩ませる
make someone a bit upset （人）を少しばかり悩ませる
vague spaced-out feeling ボーッとした感じ

(Vocabulary from comments)
prudish (性的なことに対して) 過敏な, 潔癖な

Comments

[KUMO]

Dear Travis

Thank you for your comment. I fully understood what you wrote.

[Travis]

I have been to a few clothing optional beaches. The first time was very surprising as I did not realize where I was. A naked man appeared on the path in front of me. Luckily I am not prudish and I was not embarrassed and definitely knew where I was.

Usually clothing is allowed, no one will rip your clothing off. Being naked is simply allowed but not required.