Lucky is the traveler who can step
into a Japanese hot spring bath after a long day on the road.
As you stretch out and are engulfed by the hot water, your
aches and worries disappear. And in so doing, you participate
in the sensuous custom of communal bathing which has been practiced
in Japan for over a thousand years, and which is still very
popular today. It is a manifestation of the admirable Japanese
preoccupation with cleanliness and purification. [Top]
The elderly, the young, adolescents and middle aged people
all love to go to onsens. There are over 2,000 volcanic hot
spring areas in Japan, covering the whole country, from the
northern island of Hokkaido to the main southern island of
Kyushu. Hot springs are even to be found in the metropolis
of Tokyo. [Top]
Perhaps the most pleasurable way to experience the hot springs
is while staying at a ryokan (traditional Japanese inn). A
cotton robe (yukata) and slippers are provided in your room
for perambulating about the inn and for going to the baths.
The etiquette for taking a communal bath is not complicated
but must be observed. For some foreign visitors, the first
rule may be the hardest, namely taking off your yukata or clothes
in the changing room and putting them in a wicker basket on
a shelf. Those who are not comfortable parading around naked
in front of strangers – albeit of your gender – may
find this challenging. You are expected though to drape the
provided wash cloth modestly in front of your body. [Top]
Entering the bathroom, you come to a row of faucets and shower
hoses placed close to the floor. You take up your position
at one, squat on a very low wooden stool (this too can be a
challenge), and apply the liquid soap and shampoo from the
dispensers to the washcloth, and proceed to vigorously scrub
every part of your self. You rinse off thoroughly with the
shower hose, or, more dramatically, by using the traditional
method of filling the small wooden tub near your stool and
pouring its contents repeatedly over yourself. It is very important
to rinse well, as bringing any trace of soap into the bath
is the most serious breach of protocol. [Top]
When you are completely rinsed you proceed to the bath itself,
whereupon you lower yourself in gingerly, as the water is sometimes
so hot as to require getting used to. This is the ecstatic
moment. You stretch out in the water, which is usually not
much more than knee-deep, resting your head against the side.
For the all-over experience, you may place your neatly folded
(and previously thoroughly rinsed) washcloth drenched in the
hot water on the top of your head. Then you soak for as long
as you want. Some bathers get out, wash again, perhaps asking
a neighbour to scrub their back, and then go back in for another
soak. [Top]
In the men’s section at least, the atmosphere is tranquil,
almost mystic. There is never any splashing or rough-housing
and there is very little conversation. In the women’s
section, it is understood that there are often animated discussions
among groups of friends. Being a non-Japanese is not a problem
(despite some urban legends among foreigners that baths clear
when one of us arrives). It naturally helps if you are aware
of bath protocol and make a point of emulating the locals.
Then, Japanese politeness prevails. Bathers keep to themselves
or their group and show no particular interest in others including
any non-Japanese in their midst. The mellow ambiance is sometimes
enhanced by the beer and sake that are almost universally available.
(The alcohol and hot bath can make for a dizzying combination
for the uninitiated.) [Top]
Most indoor baths are granite or marble lined. Some more traditional
ones consist of large cedar tubs. There is usually a stream
of hot water pouring from a spout or gushing from a fountain.
The size of baths varies greatly, accommodating anything from
a few bathers to facilities that are proudly advertised as
handling hundreds. Many are rectangular and others are fancifully
curved. Often indoor baths have a wall of glass with a view
outdoors of a small Japanese garden. Some also boast an outdoor
bath, or rotenburo. These are greatly appreciated by visitors.
The water is usually contained in an artful series of smooth
volcanic rocks; a “waterfall” may add to the allure,
sometimes emerging from a bamboo spout. The outdoor bath is
often partially covered by a masterfully constructed rustic
roof supported by smooth cedar posts. [Top]
Some rotemburos are made into large ponds, set along mountain
streams. Takaragawa Onsen (Osenkaku and Bunzan,
Osenkaku Bekkan) is a ravishing example of this. Set in
a mountainous area two hours by train north of Tokyo, this
hotel offers four oversized rotenburos set on both sides of
a verdant ravine. One is reserved for women, and others are
mixed. You walk along a narrow path following the rushing mountain
stream, coming to the first mixed rotenburo. In the change
hut (with separate women’s and men’s sections),
you remove your yukata and slippers. If a woman, you wrap yourself
in a huge towel which you keep on throughout the bathing experience,
but the men have to make do with the regulation washcloth.
Somehow decorum is generally maintained and a good time is
had by all (groups, couples, and singles). [Top]
The setting of the rotenburos is spectacular. Dense green
forests on both sides of the stream enclose the ravine, and
the mountain stream consists at this point of series of rapids.
A few carefully placed Japanese stone lanterns and a long bamboo
trough from which hot water splashes into the first bath make
the scene even more picturesque. Birds flit around. You wade
into the clear blue-green water walking over the smooth stone
floor to take up a soaking position at the rotenburo’s
rim, which consists of boulders gathered from the stream-bed.
Then you sink down into the wonderfully hot water to stretch
out languorously. You are so close to the rapids that you can
almost touch them. You feel at complete harmony with nature.
This feeling of being close to nature is reinforced when you
amble, clad in your towel or washcloth, from one rotenburo
to another. For uninhibited patrons, a strut across the suspended
foot bridge to the newest rotenburo, on the other stream, is
a piquant experience. And after sun-down, the scene is even
more exotic, illuminated by lights from the stone lanterns.
In winter, deep snow everywhere, including on the boulders
protruding from the stream, makes for an other-worldly scene. [Top]
For those visitors who prefer a more intimate experience,
some onsen resorts offer private rotenburos in front of each
suite. A more affordable variation of this is where the hotel
has not only “public” rotenburos but also one or
more small ones which are available for rent by the hour – for
groups up to five….(Doing things by couples seems not
to be the rule.) The most affordable Japanese bath experience,
albeit the least intimate, is provided by sento, neighbourhood
public bath houses. Many have survived to this day even though
homes of course now have their own baths. Nozawa Onsen (Chitosekan and Uenokan),
a mountain village north of Nagano, still has 11. They are
open long hours and are free. The oldest is built entirely
of wood, and is an outstanding example of traditional Japanese
carpentry. [Top]
The variety of Japanese hot springs is endless. There is even
a rotenburo for monkeys. At Jugokudani Onsen (Korakukan),
near Nagano, in the middle of a forest a primitive rotenburo
has been constructed along a stream which is popular with wild
monkeys. During the winter, with snow all around, they like
nothing more than soaking in the water to keep warm. [Top]
The views from rotenburos are one of their most appealing
features. And you seem to appreciate the scenery more than
usual, while lounging in hot spring water au naturel. An unspoiled
panorama of mountains and a valley is offered by a hotel in
Nikko (site of the Shoguns’ mausoleums). Just outside
Shimoda (Shimoda
View Hotel), where Commodore Perry forced an end to over
200 years of Japanese seclusion in 1854, you look through palm
trees and over a cliff for a breath-taking view of the sea
coast and rugged islets. At Shikine Jima island south of Tokyo,
you are right at the ocean’s edge. And at Shikotsu Lake
(Marukoma)
in Hokkaido, you look across a wide lake to a surreal view
of a perfectly conical volcano. [Top]
After reveling in the joys of the bath, you should do what
the other customers do, return to your room or the restaurant
of your inn where a copious traditional dinner of numerous
courses of small servings will be served. In advertising their
attractions, hot spring hotels give the photos of their meals
at least as much prominence as the bath facilities. Good bathing
and good dining are inextricably linked. And during dinner,
there is no need for even the uninitiated to hold back on sake
or beer. After the meal, unless you are with a group indulging
in karaoke, there is nothing better to do than collapse on
your futons which are spread out on the tatami mats. You deserve
a good sleep, after the “exertions” of your hot
spring experience! [Top]
Copyright D Paget, All Rights Reserved, 2003 |
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