How to Take A Japanese Bath -- Onsen? Here are some key tips for making your first bath a rewarding one:

Kurokawa Onsen, Kyushu

Japanese take their bath at home, but they also like to go to the onsen, hot springs. When you make a special trip to go to Onsen, it is called an onsen Ryoko, a "onsen trip". Ryokan near hot springs sometimes have a bath outside to admire the landscape; it is a rotenburo a "outdoor bath". The Japanese particularly enjoy the feeling of freedom that comes from a bath outdoors.

takaragawa onsen

Onsen are places of rest and relaxation. They often provide, in addition to the bath itself, opportunities for accommodation and restaurant. The term onsen also tends to designate the installations surrounding the hot spring itself. Nevertheless, the essential remains the bath itself, the most popular of which are located outside, facing unspoilt countryside, and constructed of natural materials such as stone and wood.

Indoor onsen at Ofuka Onsen

There are many onsen types it may be external or internal bathroom. Their management may be public (often depending on the municipality) or private, within a hotel, ryokan or minshuku. The entrance to the bathroom only price ranges from free admission and more than 1,000 yen, price varies depending on the services offered by the establishment. Some onsen require overnight to access the bathroom, then the price can vary between 15,000 and 30,000 yen.

dogo onsen honkan long exposure

Japan is a volcanic country, hot springs abound. You can find onsen around the country, sometimes concentrated in spa towns. You can always find a sufficiently close to the city to spend a weekend or a short holiday, and thus a relaxing break between two working weeks onsen.

Inside the onsen, nudity is obligatory and those present have clothing for a towel which can serve as a loincloth, though modesty is not set around the bathroom . The onsen are considered by some Japanese as for the "communion of nudity" Where collective nudity can get to know also enjoying the relaxed atmosphere of onsen.

Since the late nineteenth century and American protests, onsen are more mixed, with some exceptions.

The presence of an onsen is often indicated by the following symbol ♨ or the kanji yu (湯 "hot water"). Sometimes the hiragana character yu (ゆ) used to be readable by young Japanese.

Bathing in onsen or hot spring is healthy, rejuvenated, and leaves a fresh, relaxed and clean. The hot springs have healing properties ranging from skin diseases to cancer, and most visitors will see a dip in an onsen is a highlight of his visit to Japan. Here are some key tips to get started enriching bathrooms:

• All bathers must wash and rinse before entering the pools. Bathing stations are equipped with stools, faucets, wooden buckets, and toiletries such as soap and shampoo; nearly all onsen also provide removable shower heads for bathing convenience. Entering the onsen while still dirty or with traces of soap on the body is socially unacceptable.
• Onsen bathers usually bring a small towel to wash. It can also serve as a loincloth when they come out of the basin. Some onsen allow to keep her towel in the pools, others have signs explicitly prohibiting. The reason is often that this practice makes cleaning more difficult basins. Bathers then leave their towels beside the pool or put them on their head.
• The onsen are considered places where you can relax and away from the bustle of everyday life. They are often silent. Swimmers can still hold conversations moderate volume. Regulations generally prohibit onsen noise in the bathroom, but there is a certain tolerance towards children.
• Many onsen ryokan (hotel) alternates exclusively male and female hours, so be careful: the bathroom that you have entered standby mode can be booked for the next day of the opposite sex.
• Many people prefer to put their towel on the head for the bathroom, but putting on a rock or on the side of the bathroom is also acceptable. If it accidentally slips into the water, wring it out of the bathroom.
• Never try to look through partitions or walls around to see the bathing area of the opposite sex.
• Do not swim in the bath ... use for soaking and quiet contemplation.
• After leaving the bathroom, wipe excess water and sweat in the best way possible with his face towel before going into the locker room.
• Many onsen have rooms where you can lie down and nap, drink a cold beer or tea, or even sit in a massage chair. Do not be afraid to take advantage of these opportunities to relax after a bath!
• It is not normally allowed to wear the swimsuit in an onsen. However, some of them, which are more akin to water parks, asking swimmers to wear a jersey.
• It is still very possible that you may be refused entry if you have "sleeves" or large, very visible tattoos. Small tattoos may be possible to cover up with a waterproof bandage. Please be respectful of whatever the establishment requests.