Hot Spring in Japan

Hot springs are a big part of Japanese culture. It would be shocking to hear that there was a Japanese person that had never visited one.

Many springs are developed, having an associated outdoor bath (rotenburo or notenburo) and/or indoor bath. Baths may be either public run by a municipality or private (uchiyu ) often run by a local inn (ryokan) or B&B (minshuku ).

Onsens are often found out in the countryside, and are a major tourist attraction drawing Japanese couples, families or company groups who want to get away from the hectic life of the city to relax. Japanese often talk of the virtues of 'naked communion' (裸の付き合い, hadaka no tsukiai)) for breaking down barriers and getting to know people in the relaxed homey atmosphere of an onsen inn.

The springs are split up into men's area and women's area. In the past the men's area was considerably larger than the women's area. However, in recent times many hot spring resorts have a larger women area. This is because the average person taking a trip or vacation these days tends to be female. Some hot spring resorts rotate the sex of the areas every day.Some hot springs have coed baths, but they are not that common.

Natural and "unnatural" hot springs

Not all hot spings are natural, meaning that the source of the spring comes from the earth. Usually the natural hot springs come from a nearby volcano and the water has a strong sulfur smell to it. A natural hot spring is called an onsen.

Hot springs which are not from a natural source, but are heated artificially are called sentou. A sentou can be just as relaxing as an onsen with the exception that the smell of sulfur is not present.

How to bath?

1) Take off all your clothes in the changing room and place them into a basket together with your bath towel. Coin lockers for valuables are often available.

2) Japanese hot springs are enjoy naked. Swimming suits are not allowed in most places. However, it is the custom to bring a small towel into the bathing area, with which you can enhance your privacy while outside of the water. Once you enter the bath, keep the towel out of the water.

3) Before entering the bath, rinse your body with water from either a tap or the bath using a washbowl provided in the bathing area. Just rinsing your body is usually sufficient unless you are excessively dirty, in which case you want to use soap.

4) Enter the bath and soak for a while. Note that the bath water can be very hot (typical temperatures are 40 to 44 degrees). If it feels too hot, try to enter very slowly and move as little as possible.

5) After soaking for a while, get out of the bath and wash your body with soap at a water tap, while sitting on a stool. Soap and shampoo are provided in some baths. Like in private Japanese bathroom, make sure that no soap gets into the bath water. Tidy up your space after you finished cleaning your body.

6) Re-enter the bath and soak some more.

7) After you finished soaking, do not rinse your body with tap water, for the minerals to have full effect on your body.

You WASH my back, I'll WASH yours!?

While washing prior to entering the springs it would not be strange if someone offers to wash your back. This normally doesn't happen out of the blue, but the person you have struck up a conversation with just might offer. While in other countries the offer might be taken the wrong way, in Japan it is just a common courtesy.

If you have the chance, I would highly recommend that you visit a Japanese hot springs, it is quite worth it.

Glossary of Terms

*onsen 温泉- a natural hot springs

*sentou 銭湯 -a hot spring in which the water is heated by man made means

*oyu お湯-hot water

*onnayu 女湯-female bathing area

*otokoyu 男湯-male bathing area

*konyoku 混浴-coed bathing area

*rotenburo 露天風呂 or notenburo 野天風呂 -outdoorbath

*uchiyu 内湯 -indoor bath

*ryokan 旅館 -hotel

*minshuku 民宿- Bed and Breakfast (a type of boarding house typically operating out of a large single family residence.)

by Aeris ^-^