That`s onsen-se

No, I know that title is terrible, I am completely ashamed of it.

So tonight was my first proper experience of the Japenese public paths known as onsen. Basically it amounts to a bunch of naked guys sitting in a warm bath tub, but that would be dumbing things down. Dotted throughout Japan are various hot springs, with naturally occuring sects of boiling water. Over the centuries, these spots of Japan have been frequented by the country`s population as a means to relax. Think of it as a big natural jacuzzi. Anyway, these spots crop up everywhere in Japan, be they naturally occuring or man made (more likely the former, I believe).

So to any Westerner, the idea of bathing with other people seems a bit... odd. As you become an adult, baths and showers become a more private thing - certainly not something you`d share with several people, at least. Being inherently Western, I was initially a tad apprehensive about checking out an onsen. I originally intended to do so in my stay in Beppu some point last week, but never got around to it, partially due to obscene partying down instead (another story, mind). So when I got in to Matsayama this afternoon, a city which contains one of the most renowned onsen, (The Dōgo Onsen of Matsuyama is apparently the oldest bath house in all of Japan, and has been used by the Japanese for around 1500 years) I decided I should check it out. The process is simple, you show up, fumble through not being very good at speaking Japanese, eventually get the right ticket, a towel and soap and then rock on down to the changing room. From there, you stuff your belongings and clothes in a locker and don your birthday suit (of course remember, everyone else does the same - I`m hoping to forget the site of various naked Japanese men as soon as possible). Then you enter the bath room itself. As is customary with traditional Japanese bathing, you can`t just splash on down in to the pool area itself straight away, you have to rinse yourself off and generally make it apparent that you`re not incredibly unclean. Then it`s finally bath time.

First off, these baths aren`t scalding hot. I`m the kind of man who digs his stupidly hot showers, so I was expecting it to be a little hotter on entry. But whilst it seems a nice temperate initially, when you submerge most your body in this never relenting temperature of water, it can get incredibly draining. I was sweating up a storm, I can`t deny. Of course, it was extremely relaxing and by this point, you really don`t care that everyone else is naked, and instead just enjoy the warm water. Now apparently, you{re only meant to stay in the bath for about 15 minutes, due to the heat, but I think I must`ve racked up about 20 in the end. I did have to get out at one point and rinse myself with cold water, but I wanted to get my yen`s worth. After you finish, you get out and effectively shower yourself off. The entire experience consists of using lots and lots of water. Whilst I was incredibly warm for a while after, I did enjoy my time in the onsen - it`s definitely a unique experience that any traveller in Japan should try out. The Dōgo Onsen, being such a historical site, also had a small exhibition room with some interesting artifacts to check out whilst you`re cooling down. I also grabbed some strawberry milk from the vending machine, because I felt I deserved it.

P.S. I realise I haven`t been updating often, that`s because I`ve been doing things. I`ve got several things I want to write about but it`s unlikely I will get them on here until I return to Tokyo after finishing my 3 and a bit weeks around Japan, so some time next week I think. Hopefully my tales of Japanese man bits and water will entertain you until then.