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Japanese Hot Spring

There's something spiritual about Japanese hot springs. Don't worry, I'm not going to get religious here, but I want to explain how wonderful a bath of hot mineral water can feel, especially when you're sitting in the open air or an atmospheric old ryokan (inn).

You also have to realize that bathing in Japan is much more of a ritualised affair than in most western countries, something that goes right back to the dawn of Japanese culture and the importance of cleanliness that came from Confucianism and subsequently Shinto, Japan's own religion.

For many Japanese families, a late night bath is one of the only times in the day when they get to spend real time with each other, as it's not unusual for parents and young children to bathe together. Walk through any Japanese neighbourhood in the evening, and you usually hear the splashing of children in the bath.

Japan's hot springs, called onsen, are created from water heated naturally underground by the same forces that created its abundant volcanoes. When the water emerges above ground, as it does in more than three thousand locations around Japan, it may be at varying temperatures from tepid to scalding hot, and have a wide variety of mineral compositions. This water is then often piped into ryokan or other establishments, who regulate the temperature by adding cold or hot water. Hot springs in Japan range from small rock pools in the mountains to enormous resort hotels that pump the water from underground, and may have a bewildering array of hot and cold baths, waterfalls, slides, and other paraphernalia. What these places can all claim is that to a certain extent they are unique, and that's what hot spring enthusiasts love, that no two are the same.

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For travellers in Japan, the main thing to note is that you have to travel into the countryside to find most hot springs. Some cities have spa-type establishments, but these are usually sento, or public baths, in themselves an interesting experience, but not a true hot spring because the water is usually just heated tap water. Real hot spring leave your skin feeling smooth, not dried out.

The first thing to remember before taking the waters for the first time is the etiquette. There are several golden rules of the bath, which you should obey.

1. Don't wash in the bath! In common with baths in Japanese homes, you should wash yourself and completely rinse of all soap before getting into the bath. There will always be some kind of tap or shower provided for this purpose, usually a shower attached to the wall with a small plastic stool to sit on.
2. Don't wear anything in the bath! Yes, that means going naked. Most (not all) hot springs are divided into male and female baths, with separate changing areas. Somewhere will usually be provided to get changed and store your belongings. The only thing you should take in is soap and shampoo if you need it, and a small towel, which many places provide with the entrance fee, or for a few hundred yen extra. Since many of the springs have a high mineral content, it could have an adverse effect on your brightly coloured swimwear!
3. Don't splash around in the bath. You will earn the instant animosity of your fellow bathers if you do. The idea is to sit quietly and let the hot water relax you.

Now you know what not to do, here's what you should do. Pay your entrance fee (usually from a few hundred to a thousand yen), make sure you have a small towel to hide your sensitive parts and wash yourself. If you have come with people of the opposite sex, decide when and where you will meet after the bathe (if you are at a konyoku, or mixed hot spring, this doesn't apply!). Then make your way to the changing rooms. Usually there will be a low curtain with the symbol for man and woman, make sure you know which is which. Shed your clothes and your inhibitions, take your towel, and enter the bathing area. Trying to look as though you know what you are doing, find the washing area, grab a stool, and soap down. When you have completely rinsed off, you can take your little towel, place it in front if you want, and slowly get into the bath. It's wise to test the temperature before you plunge in, as they can be hot. Now soak! It may feel very hot at first, but if you stay still, and really relax, it's really quite comfortable. If your hot spring has a rotenburo, or outside bath, then it's nice to alternate between the indoor and outdoor ones.

It's worth noting that people with high blood pressure or heart ailments should be careful about staying more than a few minutes in the hot water. Signs will be displayed in Japanese telling you the temperature, mineral content, and any warnings or advice about who should not bathe. If you can't read Japanese, and do have some ailment, then don't spend any amount of time in water that feels very hot.

Hot springs provide the perfect relief when travelling through Japan. And since many of them are located in mountainous areas, you can often get in a full days hiking and end up with a good soak at the end. Japan's famous hot spring towns, such as Beppu in Oita Prefecture, are legendary in the variety of ryokans (inns) and hot spring resorts they offer. These places suit the Japanese habit of travelling in large groups well. Companies often send their employees on all expenses paid weekends to such onsen where the employees can spend their time drinking, singing karaoke, bathing, and cementing the relationships so important to the Japanese work ethic.

The larger resorts are usually geared for these kinds of visitors, and smaller, family-owned onsen often are more suited to individuals.

Before the advent of modern tourism, hot springs throughout Japan often provided the only holiday the country people could afford. Farmers would bundle up their futons and other belongings, and go to the nearest hot spring for several weeks. Even the nobility would decamp to these villages in the hills, of-course suitably segregated from the lower classes. Communities of traders and geisha would grow up around them.

Many of these Edo-period onsen villages are still plying their trade, and are quite popular with Japanese on weekend breaks. Ryujin Onsen, on the border of Nara and Wakayama prefectures in the Kii Peninsula south of Osaka is typical. Perched along the side of the Hidaka River ryokan stand shoulder to shoulder, all with their own baths fed by the local spring. At one end is a public rotenburo (open air bath), the men and womens sections segregated by bamboo fences. In the evening, visitors stroll along the main road in their yukata (cotton robes) and geta (wooden slippers), their faces flush from the bath.

So now you know. There's nothing quite like a Japanese hot spring to soothe the mind. You could call them the great equaliser. After all, there's nothing quite like sitting in a tub with a bunch of naked strangers to make you realise how similar we really are.