On the Road Update: The Onsen Incident (Patreon)

Hey hey ٩(๑❛ᴗ❛๑)۶ I have been wanting to catch up this whole entire trip. I never considered how absolutely exhausted I'd be at the end of the day. But I am gathering loads of information, stories, books, photos, videos, audio recordings, and little adventures and talks with locals to share once I get back home and can sort through everything.

Okay, funny story from last night.

One "theme" to the trip that just sort of happened of its own accord is to do the hard thing, push myself out of my little comfort zone, grow. A quote from the book I'm reading is: "Does it hurt to tackle hard things? Of course it does. Good!" The book is Arthur C. Brooks The Meaning of Your Life. My friend who passed away (Chris) kept telling me how great it was and it was one of the books I saved from the stacks and brought it with me.Anyway. Public bathing. No big deal here. Men and women separate, it's really no big thing. Onsen are the baths fed by natural hot spring water, while a sentō is a public bathhouse that traditionally uses ordinary heated water. Then you have your ofuro which simply means bath. Both onsen and sentō can have large communal baths, and onsen can be indoors or outdoors.

One of the lovely things about Japanese onsen is that no two hot springs are the same. As the water travels underground, it absorbs minerals from the surrounding rocks and that gives each spring its own unique character. Some are rich in sulfur and have that distinctive eggy smell, others contain iron and have a reddish tint, then there are others that can be salty, milky white, or beautifully clear. The mineral content can also affect how the water feels on your skin—some springs are silky and slippery, others leave your skin feeling warm long after you've climbed out. Many claim to heal different ailments and diseases, too.

So visiting onsen is a lovely tradition. But I haven't been since I was a student. I think the last time was when I was in the kendo club. You know, it's funny how much of what we consider modest or immodest depends on where we grow up. In Japan, bathing naked with strangers is pretty ordinary, and relaxing to boot. The naked body isn't necessarily a sexual thing. Sometimes it's simply a body enjoying a very hot bath. But still. Right? So I decided to get a hotel last night. Cheap. It's mostly used by blue collar workers (men), so the really nice onsen (photo above) is open for men most of the day. Women get only an hour and a half at night.

The lady at the front desk told me all this and then said if I wanted to go during that time to come and get a key because the door needs to be kept locked (to keep men from wandering in surely). I debated the shit out of it. But I kept thinking that I haven't seen a single woman in the hotel yet and maybe I could have the WHOLE BATH TO MYSELF! Finally, at 8pm I made the decision. Damnit. I'll go. It's the hard thing and I should do it. So I take my little bag with a change of clothes and towel downstairs. Ask for the key. And I'm really proud of myself. I am imagining me just swimming around in that great bit hot pool up there in the photo.

Then I open the door. An old woman is taking off her clothes. They have cubbies with baskets. That's where you keep all your stuff. Okay. Maybe fine. One older woman. But as I'm getting ready myself (as slow as humanly possible because I want this lady to move along inside), two younger women come in. And that's when I notice...all the cubby baskets are full. Oh. Crap. But what am I going to do? Be a baby and leave? So I take off my glasses. Yay. I can't see. I go into to the bath area. There are sectioned off places where you wash your body and hair before you go into the big bath. You don't want to go in dirty. So I find one and I'm killing time...but also nonchalantly counting people. All together: 7. Seven other women. One is already in the bath. Now suddenly I'm thinking...am I supposed to strike up a conversation with these people? What the hell do you talk about? Also, what are the rules for where to sit in the bath? I go ahead and scoot on in. There. In the water. Safe. But then I start thinking. The lady already in is in a good position facing the wall. So I turn so I'm not like staring at her -- remember I'm half blind really, but no one knows that -- then I realize I'm staring at all the other women washing themselves. Awkward! Okay, turn.

My tattoo. I suddenly remember I have a freaking tattoo on my shoulder. Not big but tattoos are most of the times forbidden in public onsen because of the connection to the yazuza (organized crime). It used to be that's how you could recognize one of the members and it made people uncomfortable. So no tattoos is a thing. Getting better since the meaning of tattoos has changed over the years, and also you can buy these "bandages" to just slap over yours and you can go in...but I had forgotten to ask. Mostly it's very bad form to go in with a tattoo without first asking if it's okay.

So now I have to turn another way to not show my tattoo. It's become a strange impossible geometry of where to look or not look. Then I have another shocking thought: Okay, these other six women are fixing to stride over here and get in the bath. We'll all be spaced out evenly, I assume. Everything's fine when your up to your neck in hot water, but who leaves first? I could be stuck here all night long waiting for the last one to leave. But not all night because we only have an hour and a half. I'll have to soak for an hour and a half and just keep motioning to the others, dozo dozo, after you. After you! Alarm bells are ringing in my head: Abort mission! Abort mission!

And just like that...I got out dried off, and fled upstairs. Shortest bath in Japanese history. Surely. Allrighty, I'm fading fast. So much more to say and share. Today was the Tono village and it was magical. Absolutely gorgeous. Rainy with mist and fog in the mountains swirling around like thin little dragons. Loved it! XO,

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