Hugh Jackman upset locals at a sacred onsen in Japan during a break in filming The Wolverine by failing to cover up his manhood.

The X-Men star let it all hang out during his time at the hot springs and it took him the best part of an hour to realise the hand towel he had been given at the entrance was to cover his privates.

Jackman tells Wenn, "The place is separated male and female and they hand you a towel, a small washcloth and there are eight different types of tubs with heats of different temperatures.

"I'm getting so hot and I'm using the towel they gave me to dip into the cold water and put it on my head and I was getting very strange looks from everybody. This was at the base of Mount Fuji and I was the only white person there. I thought, 'Maybe this isn't cool and I'm not allowed to be there'.

"I was feeling uncomfortable and finally this guy in the tub grunts and points to my head and then grunts and points to my private parts. Finally I realised the towel was meant to be covering my privates and I'd spent about an hour just waltzing around this place with this thing in one hand and a beer in my other hand!"

Jackman reveals Mount Fuji became a major part of his time in Japan - he climbed the peak with his son Oscar.