A note on onsens: I love them. No beating around the bush, no long
explanation, no apologies. They are amazing, magical places full of heat and
water. They are my go-to for good feels and deep relaxation. Feeling cold? Go
to an onsen. Feeling hot? Go to an onsen. Feeling stressed? Go to an onsen.
Feeling a little out of sorts? Go to an onsen. Having a great day and want to
make it better? Go to an onsen!
Onsens are places where you can strip away the world with
each article of your clothing; leaving both in the changing room as you enter
emotionally and physically naked into the bathing area. In the steam filled
room where you wash yourself before bathing, you can take your time to let your
hair down and give yourself that nice long rub down which removes the last
traces of the outside world`s presence on your mind and skin. After that,
you`re ready to slowly submerge yourself in the beautifully hot water and let
it seep into every layer of yourself, starting with your oh so tender skin.
“Hot, hot, hot!” is what usually is playing through my mind as I enter, with
each successive “hot!” getting higher pitched and louder in correlation to the
lower I sink into the steaming bath. After you`ve adjusted to the temperature
(or as much as is possible), all that`s left to do is lay there and really take
in the massaging heat of the water and the contrasting cool steam that wafts
above it, caressing your exposed skin in gentle waves. This, for me, is a
little slice of heaven.
Onsens come in a multitude of different sizes and shapes. On
the upper scale they are posh spas with a variety of choices for your bathing
pleasure (want a massage, foot rub, facial?), and have extensive bathing
facilities with areas to lay on hot rocks, mineral water baths, different
temperature pools (lobster-hot to ice-cold and anywhere in between), a sauna,
individual bathing pools for rent… you get my drift. Some have outdoor bathing
pools where you can look at the beautiful landscape while bathing (which, I
must say, is my favorite way to bathe). This is for the extreme pampering
experience. On the opposite end are the onsens that are literally a room with a
washing area and the one pool that everyone sits in.
 |
| See the stools and bathing area to the left? That's where you wash before and after entering the pool. |
These are the more traditional, everyday ones. You can find
these tiny little havens in the nooks and crannies of most large cities, with smaller
cities having one or two. Though often unimpressive or unrecognizable from the
outside, they are just as lovely to slip into at the end of the day as the
large scale ones.
One important aspect of onsens is their social factor.
Onsens are a great place for friends to hang out, talk and relax, or to meet
new people. While you can absolutely go to an onsen alone and enjoy a soak
without talking to anyone, as many do, I find it difficult as a foreigner to do
so. Generally someone will try to talk to me, or at the very least I will get a
lot of stares. A natural hazard of being someone who looks different in a
largely homogeneous society, I`ve accepted this aspect of life. It’s
interesting to talk to people, and naked conversation time is just as fun as
dressed conversation time, just with less talk about accessories.
All of that being said, I do want to mention two special and
interesting onsen experiences I have had. One was at an onsen in Usuki. A
friend and I decided to pack up our things and head off to an onsen escape in
Usuki, a town about forty minutes from Saiki by train. The onsen was a middle
level onsen with an inside and an outside pool. Though it was winter, and
rather cold outside, we decided to brave the outdoor pool. Normally this
wouldn`t be a problem, but do consider this: it`s winter, therefore cold
outside, and you have to walk to the pool which is a good 20-30 meters away
while being absolutely nude and wet from washing. Bracing ourselves, we dashed
from the door to the pool. There has never been as much relief as when we
ducked into the hot pool, submerging ourselves up to our chins so as to erase
the chill from our bones in the meltingly hot water. This outdoor pool was made
of smooth rocks with rougher large ones surrounding it to give a rustic feel.
Set in a garden with trees, shrubs and groundcover, it was made to provide
privacy as well as the feel of being alone in nature. Due to the cold, the steam
was rising off the water in soft swirls that cascaded over us in a refreshing
mist. Surrounded by all the foliage, the night sky overhead, smooth rocks under
my feet, hot water seeping into my soul and steam leaving gossamer kisses on my
skin, I was completely enchanted. Out of all my onsen experiences, this was
byfar my favorite.
 | |
| While not the pool I went to, it shows what I mean by a view and nature being everywhere. Also, steam! |
 |
| This resembles the pool I went to, though this one is smaller. |
The other experience was less about the onsen and more about
the people there. The same friend and I ducked into a small onsen (where it was
just a single pool that everyone sits in together) in Beppu after a JET event.
Seeing that it was a small pool which was already pretty full, I prepared
myself for being stared at, or asked questions. Surprisingly, neither during my
pre-washing, soaking or post-washing time did anyone approach me, nor did I
notice anyone staring. Though that is a little unusual (usually I notice at
least one person staring), I took it as a small blessing and enjoyed my
undisturbed soak. As we were leaving, my friend pointed to a sign on the wall.
In very polite Japanese, the sign explained that there may be foreigners coming
to this onsen who would like to bathe, and asked people to be considerate to
their privacy so that everyone can enjoy the onsen experience. This was the
Japanese way of politely saying, “Please don`t stare at, question, or otherwise
make the foreigners uncomfortable.” I have never seen such a sign before, but
thought it was neat that the management had been considerate enough to make one
(or had there been enough complaints that it become necessary?). Obviously it
worked, since the women there paid me little heed! It was interesting to note
that the sign was even necessary, though I well understood why it was.
On the topic of onsens, there is so much information about
them that I won`t even try to cover it all. Can I wear a bathing suit? Which
allow tattoos (see link below)? Which have salt water? Which are actual onsens
and which are just hot water baths (onsens = natural hot springs)? What is
proper onsen etiquette? Why do people wear towels and buckets on their heads?
Instead, I`ll just leave you with this beautiful image of an
outside onsen with a mountain view. Ahhhhh….
Pssst!
This link shows which onsens allow tattoos, though
you can ask anywhere you go as well since this link isn`t absolutely inclusive.
The webpage is in Japanese! http://tattoo-spot.jp/
