ONSEN AND BATHING
Caitlin and Naomi have some of their best conversations while relaxing in the bath
" 'It must be open,' Naomi whispered. They peaked inside the bathing room and were pleased to discover a long, deep tile tub, larger than the women's tubs--which were nearly always smaller than the men's--in many of the inns and hotels Caitlin had been to. Naomi called out to the mother and young girl soaking off to one side: 'Is it hot?' Just right, they answered." (PAGE 148)
| Hot spring or onsen bathing is a centuries-old tradition in volcanically active Japan. Onsen take many forms in Japan, ranging from open-air pools, to simple tubs in rustic huts, to enormous complexes with myriad baths, waterfalls, saunas, and steam rooms. Some onsen are within public bath houses; others are part of an inn or hotel where you can often pay a fee just to use the baths, as Caitlin and Naomi do when they go to the Kirishima highlands. Most onsen offer separate baths for men and women; some have mixed or private family bathing. Onsen etiquette is the same throughout Japan. You pay the bathing fee, then enter a changing room. After completely disrobing, you take your small bath towel with you and enter the bathing room, but before stepping into the warm waters you must wash yourself. There are usually a number of spigots, some with shower nozzles, and stools on which to sit on while you scrub. Soap and shampoo are often provided, and the small towel is used as a wash cloth. Once you are clean and have rinsed off all the soap lather, you can enter the baths; you leave your towel on the side or place it on your head, but never take it into the bath, unless it is mixed bathing, in which case it is acceptable to drape your towel like a giant fig leaf over your front. Onsen bathing is peaceful and contemplative, and even with a roomful of naked people, pleasantly private. People chat amiably or soak quietly. Children are reprimanded for swimming or dunking their heads. After the bath, there is often a lounge in which you can relax with a cool drink, sometimes even a meal. Once they have visited an onsen, most foreigners are hooked. Baths in private homes are generally deep square tubs. As in the onsen, you scrub yourself clean and thoroughly rinse outside of the tub before stepping in to soak. In this way, all the members of one household may share the soaking water; consequently guests are usually offered a bath first. |
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For more info about onsen bathing in Japan see Shizuko Mishima's page Japanese Hot Springs (part of her site Japan for Visitors):
http://gojapan.about.com/travel/gojapan/library/weekly/aa111898.htm
For some great photos of onsen throughout Japan, see Dave's Natural and Traditional Hot Springs of Japan:
http://www.angelfire.com/or/bonnyscotland/onsen.html
