With space at a premium in Tokyo, a lot of flats have to sacrifice areas like kitchens and bathrooms to offer more living space. And personally these are two areas of a flat I like to be comfortable. I’ve become accustomed to cooking in an area the size of a big sink but there’s one thing I really missed as soon as I arrived in the country - and that was having a proper bath.
While we’re lucky to have been put into flats with western style bathrooms, these are still incredibly small by most standards, with enough space to stand up and have a shower and use the sink. Anything more intricate and you’re banging on the walls. As for the bath, well for a gaijin short of 2 meters let’s just say that it’s nice as a giant foot bath or somewhere to sit, but I can forget all about bathing properly. I did try it once, a few weeks after arriving when I was desperate for something that wasn’t a shower and well being stuck in a plastic tub big enough for me to sit in and hold both legs with my arms and not be able to move isn’t really my idea of relaxing :???: .
Thankfully I was aware of the Japanese tradition of public bath houses and hot springs, known as sento and onsen respectively. So soon after my failed bathing experience in the flat, I was determined to find one near my house and get on with some proper bathing. I did manage to find one after a few weeks of searching, at times desperately. And soon enough I was able to enjoy the pleasures of a bath once more - and much more too.
Now while the experience of your average public bathing house in most Western countries may not be the nicest, the experience takes on an entirely new dimension in Japan even though in both cases the need for such places generally arises out of necessity more than pleasure. Though in Japan there is a much longer tradition of public bathing houses, and for many older Japanese the sento and onsen not only serve a purpose but are also places of social importance - offering the opportunity for physical proximity which is thought to in turn bring emotional intimacy, a term known as skinship in Japanese.
While the number of sento in Japan has decreased since the end of WW2 in direct relation to the increasing amount of accomodation which offer baths, there are still many in places like Tokyo alongside onsen, or hot spring baths, which in main cities are generally man made rather than natural hot springs. Outside of main urban areas, hot springs abound thanks to Japan’s high volcanic activity and the country has many areas famous for its hot springs.
Sentos are functional - generally one big area with a section for men and women separated by a high wall and within each section you’ll find rows of washing stations with taps and shower heads, a few stand up showers in a corner, and on the sides or at the back a selection of big baths with water at different temperatures. Generally two kinds of hot water baths (around 40 odd degrees) and one cold bath. Most sento today also have a sauna as well as jacuzzis, water massages tubs and electric massage tubs. The most important thing in a Japanese sento, or onsen, though is not the facilities but the etiquette of how you should wash.
Luckily I was aware of this, weirdly enough through watching anime (see the Anime Memories post for more on that), but it’s still quite odd the first few times you go. Unlike Westerners, the Japanese don’t believe in bathing and washing in the same tub or area. A fairly simple idea which once given some thought actually makes loads of sense - what enjoyment can you derive from bathing in dirty, soapy water? It’s quite funny, because since having discovered the joys of bathing a la Japanese, it’s brought back a lot of memories of me being a kid and sharing a bath with my parents, in water that was generally towards the end of the bath pretty damn dirty. Not that this ever bothered me, but as I grew older the reason why I enjoyed bathing, like most other people, was to relax more than anything.
And so the Japanese wash themselves, at the washing stations, before entering the bath. The bathing is to enjoy yourself and relax. Something which you’ll also find in most modern bathrooms which will have a fairly large area in front of the bath where you should shower and wash before entering your bath. A concept which is pretty alien to most foreigners. Personally I just shower in my bath, because I’m too friggin tall. But in a sento or onsen not washing before entering the bath is a serious no no and faux pas you want to avoid.
The washing stations generally have buckets and stools on which you sit while washing yourself - a process which is deeply enjoyable. Don’t get me wrong I like to wash standing up, but it’s actually really enjoyable to wash sitting down. Go figure.
Once clean and fresh, you can then enjoy the pleasures of a hot bath, especially one that is big enough for you to stretch in as well! :lol: And what’s more the variety of baths, as well as other little touches like sauna, massage tubs and others (all added to sento and onsen in modern times) make spending up to an hour in water a great pleasure and little luxury of life. Another important aspect of bathing etiquette in Japan, more so in an onsen than a sento, is the use of a small towel (for men anyways, not sure what the deal is for women) to cover your private parts while walking in between baths and areas. Though don’t be putting the towel into the water either - once in a bath the towel should be placed to the side, or failing that on the only part of your body that isn’t immersed - aka your head. And don’t be thinking about wearing any swimwear either - though apparently in the bigger, more modern, inner city onsen and sento parcs, swimwear is encouraged in mixed bathing areas.
All this luxury and pleasure is more accentuated in an onsen. While sento have a fairly functional origin and purpose, onsen are one of life’s little luxuries which the Japanese greatly enjoy - and so do I. Apart from inner city onsens, which are generally man made, an onsen derives its hot water from a natural hot spring giving the water mineral properties which are supposedly good for you (to varying degrees, and there is a lot of debate on the issue, but hey it still feels incredibly nice).
What’s more most onsen offer both indoor and outdoor bathing areas. In a lot of more modern onsen you’ll also find washing stations, showers, saunas, steam rooms, jacuzzis and other little spa like luxuries. And while most onsen are segregated with male and female areas, a lot of places also offer private onsens which can be rented by the hour and can be enjoyed by both sexes. And then you’ve also got onsen in places like Nagano, which are enjoyed by monkeys!
Onsen are also generally linked to food - that is you’ll go to an onsen for the night, enjoy the pleasures of bathing and then partake in some serious eating, with many B&B, inns and hotels offering various culinary delicacies and specialities alongside their onsen. A proper way to be living it up if I’ve ever experienced one. What more could you want but some good food, drinks and a hot spring? Onsen are also generally pretty quiet, being primarily for the purpose of relaxing, a nice break from the fairly hectic and overbearing aspects of most of the Japanese service industry.
Inner city onsen, are generally more like fancy sento - offering a wide range of services, massages, beauty treatments, food and entertainment, as well as bigger bathing areas.
What’s more all of this is pretty damn cheap. A sento in Tokyo will set you back about 500 Yen, while an onsen might push 1,500 Yen. In the countryside you can also go to walk-in onsen if you don’t want to spend the night there, and again it’s all pretty cheap considering how much you’d pay for the same quality of service and facilities in most European countries.
It’s funny but since discovering the pleasures of sento and onsen, I don’t think I ever bathed so much in my life. I’ve always taken pleasure in being in water, I love it and while it’s annoying not being able to have a bath at home that inconvenience is more than offset by the fact that I can have a proper bath and more, five minutes away for next to nothing.
The rituals involved are also greatly enjoyable and I find myself thinking that I would find it really hard having to go back to not being able to do the same thing in Europe. On the downside, as a foreigner you get a lot of staring from the locals but that’s really not that much of a problem as long as you don’t offend anyone and do the wrong thing.
We went to Nikko during Golden Week and stayed in the hot spring town of Kinugawa. The experience was amazing - you’re given a yukata (summer kimono) which you wear while staying in the hotel and just spend the whole day lounging about, going to the onsen, eating, drinking and singing karaoke. I can’t wait to get out of Tokyo again and experience more onsen goodness. I’ve got to watch it with the electrical baths though - I nearly fainted today after sitting in one for a little too long :oops: .
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