Japanese Onsen Public Hot-Spring Etiquette

I wrapped my yukata, a cloth kimono, around my naked body, pulling the left side of the fabric over the right, as instructed, and tied the obi sash securely at my waist. The hotel provided these robes to guests to wear throughout their stay, even to dinner. Putting it on correctly was emphasized, because only the deceased at Japanese funerals have kimonos wrapped right side over left.

Fretting if I had tied it properly, I stared out the window at the dense green wall of leafy trees and stately pines covering the mountainside. Anxiety rippled within me, as I thought back to Katy’s explanation of the experience that awaited those ready to take the plunge.

A Magical View

My husband and I, our adult son, his wife, and two other families comprised an Overseas Adventure Travel small group, exploring Japan overland. We had left exciting Tokyo and were headed into the mountainous, hot springs resort town of Hakone.

We had been disappointed by the overcast clouds, but suddenly an unobstructed view of majestic Mt. Fuji appeared on the horizon. We all felt the magic of a cloudless sky and the thrill of a snow-capped cone. I marked the sighting on my bucket list in bold ink, as doubts of beholding Mt. Fuji melted away.

Leaving Our Comfort Zone

During the 90 minute ride to Hotel Recove, Katy Kaori Sakai, our Japanese guide, encouraged us to leave our comfort zone behind. She hoped to inspire us to absorb the local lifestyle with one of the most popular Japanese activities, the onsen′. In Japan, this refers to geothermal hot springs for purpose of health and relaxation, but as with everything in Japan, rules of etiquette come with their use.

Katy’s first remark brought dazed looks to most of our faces. “Swimming suits are not allowed under any circumstances. You can only wear your birthday suits,” she quipped.

The noise in the minivan evaporated. I could see the women, at least, churning thoughts and contemplating being naked in a pool of bubbly hot water and sharing that space with other women we had never met; quite a unique introduction.

The Onsen Tradition

Throughout Japan, 25,000 geothermal water sources erupt from underground and 3,000 onsen′ establishments exist for public bathing. In Hakone, 17 well-known hotels provide both indoor and outdoor facilities for their guests.

The concept of toji ,or hot water cure, dates back 1300 years, when royals and commoners alike, practiced mixed gender hot-spring bathing for healing. Minerals lithium, sulphur, sodium chloride and iron provided improved blood circulation, skin beautification, pain relief and reduced stress.

The practice of bathing nude to maintain clean, pure water has streamed through the centuries unchanged. Mixed nude bathing is now banned in public areas, but private onsens′ accommodate the bold and the brave.

Prepping for the Onsen

So there I stood, bound in my kimono security folds of fabric, holding the wicker basket provided by the hotel filled with everything one needed to experience onsen′: a medium-sized bath towel for drying off after the ‘relax,’ a skimpy hand towel to provide a modicum of frontal modesty while walking from the locker room to the hot-spring pools, and a pink, metallic-strip card to enter the ‘women only’ spa. I left the blue card for the men’s area behind, but I thought what a hoot it would be to ‘accidentally’ use that one.

Embracing the Experience

I wriggled loose the restraints of Western ideation and decided that at 78, sagging boobs and a roll or two worried me more than anyone else.

So off to the onsen‘ I went, collecting my six-foot, svelte, red-headed daughter-in-law, three other women in our group and Katy. She probably needed a respite from her guide duties but offered to show us newbies the etiquette of nude, public bathing in Japan.

She alerted us beforehand that anyone with tattoos is prohibited from the hot spring, as the people associate them with Japanese mafia or gang-related activity and, therefore, evil. Personal tattoos must be covered with tape before entering any public bath.

Onsen Etiquette

The rules of onsen′ etiquette turned out to be clear-cut and practiced dutifully by everyone. All public hot springs in Japan follow the same protocol.

First gain access to the bathing complex, using the special card. This provides guests with security against uninvited voyeurs.

Enter the genban, the area designated to remove shoes or hotel slippers, and place them neatly on the rack. 

Move into the locker room, select a locker, placing the elastic-band key on your wrist. Disrobe; off with the yukata; off with any other clothes and undergarments. Everything, including the bath towel goes into the basket in the locker. You may take the itsy-bitsy hand towel for modesty sake, but by now it doesn’t matter. The Japanese women don’t even bother.

Walk cautiously to the communal shower area to lather-up. Before entering the hot pools, users must be squeaky-clean. Shampoo, conditioner and body wash containers provide the bather the tools for scrubbing every inch and orifice. Women with long hair must tie up the strands, as no tresses should touch the water.

Proceed to the hot spring area, with the pint-sized towel barely covering private parts. Before entering the pool, fold the towel and place it on your head, as nothing must be immersed in the water but the person’s torso.

Select or move about inside from a bubbling-jet to a still-water pool. An outside spring has rocks and ledges to sit on if the heated water ranging around 104◦ becomes too intense.

Immersing in Tradition

I was handling this public nudity thing quite well, inching along to avoid slipping on the wet floor. Then, I bumped into a stunning Japanese woman and her two adorable daughters, probably six and seven.

In Japan, onsen’ remains a family affair. With quizzical looks, the girls stared up at me – this older woman, obviously not Japanese, with blonde hair and an unfit body that drooped and sagged. 

I wondered how often these innocent darlings had encountered a strange foreigner at the hot springs. I brushed off my initial embarrassment and greeted their curious young eyes with a cheery “Ohayo.” Both of their faces broke into relaxed smiles.

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Finding Peace

As we entered the indoor bath area, steam rose from the pools, fogging the glass wall separating them from the outdoor onsen’. My daughter-in-law and I eased into the hot bubbles and sat on a lower ledge that allowed us to be mercifully submerged up to our necks.

She wore a look of amazement at the situation and whispered, “I never thought I would ever be sitting beside my mother-in-law, naked, at an onsen’ in Japan. It’s amazing the experiences life offers.” After a short while, she hopped out to test the outdoor spring and I gladly accepted her leave.

Healing Waters

The natural minerals and the screaming hot water performed magic on my body, stressed out from the rigors of traveling halfway around the world, from long days of climbing hills to Shinto Shrines, walking miles through Japanese gardens, and the fervor of being packed into Tokyo subways and local trains.

Tranquility replaced the angst; worries slipped into the water, traded for a temporary peace of mind and a warm feeling of gratitude that I could explore this strange land with my family. The contradiction that Japanese people, so rigid, so competitive, so ambitious, can be so uninhibited when they visit an onsen’ started to make sense.

Soaking too long left me feeling weak and dizzy. The time to leave this relaxed nirvana had come too soon. I cautiously returned to the locker room, dried off with the bath towel and put on my yukata. I didn’t even care if I had it on left to right or right to left. In a separate section, hair dryers, body lotions, facial creams, and cold water to rehydrate waited as the final comforts of the onsen experience. 

An Experience Well Worth It

Katy had been right. Getting out of one’s comfort zone persists as essential for the traveler to become immersed in an unfamiliar culture. I had developed a preconceived notion about the Japanese and their customs during six days in Tokyo.

They presented as seemingly reserved, polite, conservative people who followed the rules and adhered to tradition. A completely different set of attitudes unfolded in a mountain resort town.

When it comes to personal comfort for health, healing and relaxation, the Japanese embrace the practice of bathing nude with unknown pool mates. They do this without prejudice, without anxiety, and without discomfort. Interest in the well-being of themselves and others takes precedence. The onsen′ exemplified this acutely and I will cherish this memory of participating in an activity completely foreign to my mindset.

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Author Bio:  After a life-long profession of treating the mentally ill at a PA psychiatric hospital for 33 years, Carol retired to Lake Chapala, Mexico in 2006 with her husband, to pursue more positive passions. Her family thought that she too had ‘gone mad.’ She teaches English to Mexican adults and also recently to disadvantaged local children and writes for local and international, online and print publications. Using her adventures to over 120 countries, Carol has captured a niche in travel writing. A frequent contributor to El Ojo del Lago, she’s won several literary awards from that publication. Her psychiatric field work netted a contribution to the anthology, Tales from the Couch. Recently she has also been featured in two more anthologies, Insider’s Guide to the Best of Mexican Holidays, and Bravados, Life, Love and Living in Lake Chapala, Mexico, all available on amazon.com.