First onsen experience

**read the last post first for cherry blossoms and such

I had my first onsen experience a few days ago.

An onsen is a Japanese hot spring. If you’re never been to a hot springs before, it’s basically hot sulfurous water bubbling out of the ground and you get in to boil like a lobster for like half an hour. In Japan (as always, the best at anything and everything), it’s taken up a notch. An onsen is not just a hot spring, it’s a whole experience with all the pomp and circumstance. From the onsen location to the rustic Japanese inn to the etiquette to the wide range of water types and therapeutic effects…the complete package with all the trimmings is necessary to truly experience an onsen.

Before I went to Japan, I knew that there were many rules and etiquettes you must obey in a bathhouse. I researched a LOT, and could not find a single resource that really describes exactly what happens in an onsen and how you’re supposed to behave. Usually I hate writing too much, but let me describe to you in graphic detail the very interesting experience I had at my first hot spring.

First of all, the onsen I picked turned out to be one of the best in the country. I met a woman on the bus ride there who told me that she’s been to 300 onsens (there are 3000 in Japan) and this was her favorite! OK, so far so good!

"Train" is not a good word to describe Japanese rail systems. They are extremely efficient, reliable, and on time right down to the second. The bullet train I took went past the ocean and suddenly went UNDER the ocean. Don't ask me how or why, but it did and it's amazing.

At the entrance of the onsen complex

Cottages where you can stay for the night if you have a fat wallet

You can see some men bathing there on the left!

Cameras were strictly forbidden beyond these steps for obvious reasons, so here are some stock photos of what the onsen itself looks like:

Right out of a fantasy novel

Beautiful during the winter too! Wish I coulda been there :(

I have to note that this is one of the very few onsens in the country that does mixed bathing. Had to end up with such for my first one, didn’t I?

OK, so here is what happened:

Went past mixed bathing pool on way to lockers. Saw many old men sitting on the ledge with nothing but tiny blue towels covering their situations. Went into the women’s only bath first. Only one there. Stripped naked. Brought towel in with me. Washed my body (you’re always supposed to do this before getting into the mineral water). Hopped in. Hot as hell, but felt really good. All of a sudden, three naked Japanese ladies walked in with flips flaps a'flapping and hopped into the pool too. I’m sitting in the bath pretending I’m not embarrassed by them pretending not to look at me, and them pretending like they're not embarrassed by me pretending not looking at them. Bath water itself is milky bluish white so nothing is seen below the surface. Everyone but me eventually gets out and runs through the back corridor to get into mixed bathing pool. I’m like, what the hell, I only live once, and this is fucking Japan, let’s go balls out (literally). Get out of women’s pool as more nakeys are arriving. Cautiously creep out into mixed pool clinging onto my towel like it’s penicillin. Rocks at the edge of pool entrance positioned to discreetly hide you as you get in and slip out of towel. Men definitely more unabashed than the women. Everyone is 60+ years old. I won’t go into detail about what exactly I saw, but let me just say, the sun was shining on places where it don’t normally shine.

Reminded me of this exact scene in Naruto. I was just like this, beet red from both embarrassment and boiling hot water.

Are they looking? Wait, am I looking? Omg, everyone's looking at me! Fuck, now I'm looking at everyone!

Did I like the experience? Sure. It’s extremely Japanese. This is a country full of contrasts: ancient yet ultra modern. Traditional yet trendy. Reserved yet outlandish. Here were the sweetest smiling old people fumbling over the rocks on their way to the onsen, chattering quietly to themselves and behaving in the most polite manner. Ok, so now here they are again totally uninhibited spread eagle and splashing around in joust wearing nothing but their birthday suit and a tiny little towel. This is just what they do. And they never cease to amaze.

As for the onsen itself, it was spectacular. My god, so beautiful and peaceful, surrounded by mountains, rivers, valleys, and waterfalls and charming little villages. The setting couldn’t have been better. The water was supremely nice and such a gorgeous color too. My skin was visibly steaming the whole way home!

Some more pictures from the trip so far:

Only in Japan

Star fort in Hakodate. It's a fort. With a moat. Surrounded by sakura. In the shape of a star. In the middle of a gigantic city. Only in Japan.

Hanami (cherry blossoms viewing parties) where people reflect on the life, love, the universe, and everything in between while eating delicious bento

Omgosh this place was soooo good. The virgin mary looking lovingly at that cheeseburger exactly captures the holiness of the flavors. Japan does American way better than America, and I already hate American food. I got a burger and "cookies and cream" shake, except the burger is deer meat and the shake was black sesame!

A view at the top like no other. I dare someone to show me a place with a nighttime panorama more stunning that this.

As it got darker...

Is that....a ninja? See this is why I love Japan. You go to a beautiful traditional temple and all of a sudden you see a random crazy thing like dis!

View at the top of the tower of Sapporo

Even their government building is badass!

Thousands of tiny paper cranes symbolize prayers for people who suffered during the recent disaster

*sigh* am I in Italy or what?

The other side is very beautiful too!

Japanese people are extremely tidy and efficient. All the trash cans have numerous categorizations. And if they can't find a trash can, they will literally carry their trash around with them the whole day

Is this the most beautiful store or what!? They sell high end music boxes of all things...there is one selling for $10,000!!

Have you seen a more beautiful restaurant? This is where they filmed Kill Bill!

The food was pretty nice, but mostly I just couldn't believe I was sitting right where the fighting scene between Uma and that school girl chick with the numchucks took place

Everything is so fresh and sweet, you gotta eat it raw, and trust me, I think raw is gross but man wtf why they always gotta exceed expectations!?

Eat your heart out!