![]() ![]() According to the lifestyle blog Steamtherapy (), it was in the Edo Period that common people began using onsen, and in the 1500s Christian Missionaries tried hard to ban the practice, as back then public bathing was typically not separated by gender. To thank the animal for founding the hot springs culture of the town, there are many white stork statues littered around Kinosaki.Īfter doing some of my own research, I found onsens were popularized by Buddhist monks who began using public baths in their rituals to wash away their sins, as well as samurai who used the waters to heal their battle wounds. ![]() In Kinosaki - the popular hot springs resort area I was currently heading to - they believe it was white storks, an animal endangered and prized in Japan. What animal the story features differs depending on what region you’re in. The monk realized these hot springs were special and that people should reap the rewards of their mineral-filled waters. When the animals emerged, he noticed they were completely healed. The most popular, as she explains it, is the story of a Buddhist monk - some people also believe it was hunters - stumbling upon an area full of wounded animals bathing in the hot springs thousands of years ago. When I asked Moriwaki how the local love of hot springs originated in Japan, she smirked, telling me there were many legends. The truth was, while my prudeness was making me terrified of using the onsen, I would kick myself later on if I didn’t try it.Īnyone who’s ever enjoyed Japan tourism and visited the country knows the culture is full of superstition and folklore. “While traditionally Japanese people associate tattoos with the mafia, because you’re staying at a ryokan and using their onsen and they know you’re not in the mafia it’s okay.” “Hey Moriwaki, aren’t people with tattoos not allowed in the onsen?” Then I remembered something that might give me an excuse to back out of the onsen. While in my home of Brooklyn, New York, I love flaunting my glittery body piercings and body mural dedicated to mother nature with tattoos of birds on my back, flowers on my feet and vines climbing up my left side, now I was scared the colors and shimmer would draw attention. There are over 3,000 of these public baths in Japan. They can be located either indoors or outdoors and, by definition, must contain at least one of 19 possible elements, including radon, gypsum and metabolic acid. They are geothermally-heated public baths - although you don’t actually wash in the baths, but before you enter them - heated to at least 25☌ / 77☏. Onsens are an important part of Japanese culture. What if people stared? What if I brought the wrong towel or got naked at the wrong time? My palms started to sweat. I would have to be sans clothes…with strangers. That’s the only part of my local Japan guide Moriwaki Michiko’s onsen explanation that I catch. Also, don’t bring the small towel you used to wash into the public baths.” The onsen isn’t for cleaning yourself, it’s for relaxation. You’ll be sharing the mineral waters with other people, so please make sure to do this. You’ll then remove your clothes and bring your small towel with you to the public bathing area to wash with soap, shampoo, and conditioner. The baths are separated by male and female. “When doing the Japanese onsen you’ll bring a small and big towel to the locker room where you can leave the big towel in a locker or basket. Photo courtesy of Nishimuraya Shotetsutei ![]()
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