On the Thursday of Golden Week I finally got around to going to an onsen for the first time. Onsens are very popular in Japan, and are basically public hot springs where you soak (or stew) in very very hot water from deep underground. There are also public baths in Japan which don't necessarily use spring water.
Anyways, Arima is one of the oldest (if not THE oldest, it may say on wikipedia) hot spring resorts in Japan. It's quite expensive to go to, but there are various different springs you can visit. Some of them are for one off visits whereas others are full day affairs, with food and all kinds of extras. The one I went to with my friend was called Kin no yu - 金の湯. This means Golden Hot Spring. Yey.
So with towels in hand and exhaustion to dissolve, we took the bus from Takarazuka for about an hour. We stepped off the bus to find a performing monkey surrounded by a crowd in the street. As you do.
It didn't take us very long to find the place as outside there was a free foot spa bath where people dipped their feet into the hot water. We made our way into the establishment and had to take off our shoes before paying at the desk and receiving our locker key. The bathroom, as is standard in Japan, had toilet slippers. Within three minutes of arriving Kelly had already committed the sacred error of walking out the bathroom with them still on her feet. Shame on her!
I hope you're ready to hear the next part. We got up to the changing room and were greeted by many naked ladies, the majority of whom were over 50 (a not inconsiderable number were at least 105 years old). No one batted an eyelid at each other as everyone moved around in the pretty confined space. This is because you are naked for the entire Onsen experience.
Yeah that's right. No swimming costumes, no pants, no towels to cover your modesty. Now, bearing in mind that us gaijin girls get stared at when buying a loaf of bread, I was feeling pretty sick at the idea of stripping to my birthday suit in front of a big group of curious females (thank goodness for gender separation). As it turns out, it's like ripping off a plaster. We scurried naked into the Onsen room itself, a room full of steam and.. well, nakedness. Yes, I realise I'm dwelling on this a bit, I'm just a self-conscious person (though I'm over the shock now and would willingly go again, what a liberation!)
Before getting into the hot tub itself you have to wash first at any one of the showers that surround it. The idea is to be absolutely clean before you get in, it's only polite after all. There were three hot tubs in total, at either 42 or 44 degrees depending on which one you chose. The water was a rusty, golden colour, living up to it's name. I'm not sure what minerals exactly were supposed to make up it's formula, but I did feel like I was slowly being cooked in an earthy broth. The water was so hot! We didn't stay for too long (and you're not supposed to for obvious reasons), but the older ladies were taking it in their stride whilst I floundered at the side of the pool. Kelly, who has preivously sampled the Onsen experience, gave me the best advice I have ever received - don't stand up too quickly. As it was I thought I would pass out, when I actually stood up again I realised just how easy it would have been to keel over.
It was an interesting experience, however. We showered again afterwards but that was necessary due to the extreme earthiness of the spring. In general you're not supposed to as it is considered a bit insulting. The idea is that everyone is clean when they get into the tub so why would you wash more? I know of a few people who would probably pee in the water intentionally though, thank goodness I wasn't in the water with boys.
After that we dried off and got dressed and went for a very cold drink. I felt like I had been flattened from a vigorous massage! I went to the bathroom and took a step out with the slippers still on (by accident of course.) Shame on me! The woman waiting for them after me nearly had a heart attack. Sigh.
Soft and boiled through, we went for a wander around the village, sampling such delights as manjuu and ice cream, sipping on soda water that has been carbonated by the underground springs. Here are some photos:
One of the points where water is pumped from the ground and into the baths.
Hot water bubbling in one of the parks we found. There was also a fountain with carbonated mineral water that you could drink from.
A hidden treasure.The area is lush and green and full of little shops like in beach resorts. The weather really picked up too, so it was an amazing day. Just what I needed!
