Information AboutOnsen |
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| japanese words and phrases | |
| bathing | |
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on Nakanoshima island in Nachikatsuura , Wakayama Prefecture ]] ]] s.]] An onsen (温泉; often indicated on signs and maps by 湯 or ゆ, for hot water, or with the symbol ♨) is a Japan ese Hot Spring . The onsen is basically a Japanese public bath ( Sento ) with natural hot spring water, and its history and etiquette are closely related to the sento. The onsen plays an important role in Japanese culture, providing socially institutionalised relief from the pressures of the contemporary Japanese twelve-hour Work Ethic and a chance for Japanese to break down the hierarchal nature of society through the mutual nakedness of Skinship . Ideally, they should be outdoors (though many are indoors), use naturally hot water directly extracted from a natural volcanic spring, and they are often embellished with (or, in the cheaper varieties, replaced by) a wide variety of extravagant spa Bath s, artificial waterfalls and saunas. The essential difference between an onsen and a Sento (communal bath house) is that the water in an onsen must be volcanic spring in origin, even if reheated, whereas a sento may use ordinary heated water. Onsen water is often thought to have healing powers according to its mineral properties and onsens often have several different baths, each augmented by the addition of different minerals or the composition of the tub. Note that at an onsen, as in Sento you wash your body and rinse yourself thoroughly before you enter the hot water. This is vital in a public place as entering the onsen while still dirty or covered in soap can be very unsettling for others and may cause an uproar. At the very least, if you have not washed (perhaps because you showered half an hour earlier) use the scoop provided to splash water over your genitals and feet, thus symbolically cleansing them. The most important features of the onsen by far are the water and the bathing facilities, which is why many bathers simply come for an hour or so to soak in the waters even if they do not stay. Probably the next most important issue for Japanese guests is the food; a good onsen inn (or Ryokan ) will offer what it claims is something special in the way of the evening meal. Because ryokan tend to gently pressure people towards eating their evening meal at set times (e.g. 6pm) the baths are often deserted around this hour of the day; this is a good time to hit the tub. While massage and other services are often offered, they are peripheral. Some of the most (deservedly) famous onsen in Japan are the most rustic and spartan establishments, such as Tsuru-no-Yu in Akita Prefecture . If you go with your colleagues to an onsen it is certainly possible that the experience of being naked together in a pool of hot water will break down some of the hierarchical stiffness inherent to Japanese work life. However, most visitors to onsen are not work groups but friends, couples and families. It is not unusual to see a father or mother introducing a small child to the onsen for the first time. Very small children of either sex up to about 7 years old can often be seen in both male and female baths. Mixed-sex bathing is a tradition that persists at onsen in the more rural areas of Japan, although these days there is usually a separate women-only bath in addition to the mixed bath. Wearing swimsuits is explicitly forbidden at the more traditional onsen and would be considered odd at least. Nudity is the normal state of affairs at an onsen. Onsen are places to relax and although the baths are usually silent it is a silence punctuated by the odd sigh or grunt of satisfaction. There is nothing wrong with talking quietly to friends or partners. People in the same bath or pool may well strike up a conversation with you (at least if you are a foreigner). For Japanese, initiating conversation with a stranger is fairly unusual but for nearly all Japanese people onsen are not a usual part of life but a respite from it. Essentially, the onsen should be the diametric opposite of everything in normal, hectic day-to-day Japanese life. Often, onsen scenes appear in Japanese TV, where the images are not likely to be censored; though crotches are sure to be blurred out. More often, however, such as in news or other television programs, people will be seen in the water with a Towel , over the groin for men and chest to groin for women. Note that this is almost only seen in these settings, and most people never wear their towel in this fashion. Indeed, it is considered very bad manners to dip your towel in the onsen water at all, although you will occasionally see Japanese do this. The towel is sometimes folded into a square and worn on the head, although this is by no means a norm. In recent years there has been some controversy over the banning of foreigners (or people who appear non-Japanese) from entering onsens because of stereotypes that they are unclean, rowdy and/or more prone to criminal activities. But such instances are usually isolated and have decreased even more since this issue caught the attention of the mass media, largely because many onsen operators who practised such policies didn't want such negative press impacting their business. See also Sento . INCOMPLETE LIST OF ONSEN
SEE ALSO Turkish Bath , Sauna , Sento , Balneotherapy EXTERNAL LINKS
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