Splish Splach, I Was Taking A Bath...

I have probably spent just as much time thinking up a title for this post as I spent actually writing it. I thought maybe, “Naked In Japan” but then I knew my grandmother might faint before she got past the title. Next idea, “Save Water, Bathe With A Friend” but that I think would be just as bad. “You Wash My Back, I’ll Wash Yours”….Nope.
So what is this great post about? Well, today I took the plunge and ventured out to an Onsen! Yes, I actually did it. I was sure I would chicken out in the parking lot but I actually went all the way. So, what is an onsen? Well, it’s Japanese and means “Hot Springs”. Because Japan has a lot of volcanic activity, there are Onsens everywhere. It’s a social activity thing here for the locals. Back home, friends might go to the bar to unwind after a long hard day. Here, they go to the Onsen.
So what’s the big deal about going to a Japanese Hot Spring? You have to be naked! All the way naked! Yikes! I am a very modest person. Getting naked and taking a bath with a room full of Japanese ladies is soooo not me. But I did it! It wasn’t that bad, no one seemed to pay any mind to me after they saw that I washed appropriately. I love taking hot baths so this was right up my alley (other than the public thing). I look forward to going back sometime, maybe at another time so it is not so crowded, but I will return.
For any of you planning on visiting Japan or planning to stop by a Japanese Onsen at some point in your life, there is a little bit of Onsen etiquette you need to keep in mind.
The most important part of visiting the Onsen is to make sure you clean yourself well before you get in. You can buy soap and stuff there or bring your own in a little basket. The ladies take close to a half hour scrubbing themselves before one toe gets in the bath. Urgh, be prepared to have a complete stranger squat down next to you, grab a wash cloth and start scrubbing your back for you…I guess it’s normal? I was happy to see I got a nod of approval after I rinsed off before I got into the bath. Another American woman who didn’t bother scrubbing well got some ugly looks and I saw the ladies in the bath she tried to join, quickly got out and moved to the next one. After you scrub well, you take your tiny little wash cloth with you (can’t hide much behind a wash cloth) and get into the water. Man is it hot! No splashing! You sit there for awhile, keep your voices down when talking, and then you get out and go dunk yourself in a cold bath before moving onto the next pool, one a bit hotter than the last. At this onsen, on the ladies side, there are 3 indoor hot baths a, one outdoor hot bath and one indoor cold bath. Some ladies spend 2 or 3 hours relaxing in the warm (HOT) water!
I enjoyed it a lot. It will take me awhile to get used to being around a bunch of naked people but as long as I stay in the "females only" onsen (some are co-ed), I think I'll be okay.
(Picture is of Misawa Onsen from outside on bridge leading to it)