Onsen Adventures

I just got back from Yakushima, a small island south of Japan.

In the next post I will start describing my long hike, but before then a few words about my first two trips to the Onsen, or hot spring bath.

The guesthouse I stayed at the first night in Yakushima was near many well known Onsens. So, I knew that I was going to have to try one out at some point, but I have to admit I was a little nervous the first time because it seems like a time where the rules of etiquette would be easily broken. For those who do now know, the basic idea of the Onsen is this:

1) Go in the men's side (they are usually broken up into two sections).

2) Get naked in the little changing room.

3) Go into the main Onsen room with only your little Onsen towel (about the size of a small hand towel, I got mine for 200 yen at the Onsen).

4) Soap up and wash off sitting on a little stool with the buckets and showers provided.

5) Go into the Onsen.

6) Get out, go to the locker room, dry off and put your cloths back on.

So, I did as instructed and did not ruffle any feathers (as far as I know). The Onsen near the hotel was quite hot, but pretty enjoyable, once you get over the strangeness as a westerner of being around a bunch of naked Japanese guys. I also did deduce the etiquette for the little towel, which I had kind of wondered how it would work. Basically, you keep it covering everything up front whenever you are just walking around, but it seems that you usually leave it aside when showering or in the Onsen itself.

So the next day I wake up at 6:30, because all of my roommates have as well, and someone tells me to get up and come with them to this famous Onsen. I was up anyway so I figured why not. Anyway, 8 of us head out there, and I find out that the reason we are going so early is that this is down by the ocean, and you have to go at low tide. We get there and it is really cool, basically there is a concrete ramp down to a pad with several baths that are nestled in the rocks, just a few feet from the crashing waves.

However, I know was going to have to feel out the etiquette once again, because this was just one outdoor onsen, and we were a mixed sex bunch of people. So, I did the usual and just waited to see what everyone else did. The result is less exciting then you would hope, and kind of sexist actually.

So for the guys, you basically do what you normally do, except you bring the little towel in the bath with you and stay more vigilant then usual about keeping everything up front under wraps. The girls basically bring a big beach towel and wear it like a dress, keeping it on at all times. I say it is a little sexist, because basically the guys don't change anything at all, but the girls have to totally change the onsen routine. I am guessing however that they probably prefer it that way.