The Art of Bathing

Onsen Zen

LEARN THE JAPANESE PHRASE "ATSUI DESU" ("IT'S HOT")

Bathing in Japan is more than the national pastime; it's a national obsession. Visitingonsen, or natural hot springs, is the ideal immersion. Part of a 1,500-year purification tradition with roots in Buddhism and Shinto, onsen also provide the perfect casual atmosphere for socializing with the Japanese. Remember one simple rule and you'll be welcomed like a local: Wash at the shower stations outside the daitsuba (changing rooms) before you bathe. Sitting on a small stool, soap and scrub yourself from head to toe (soap is usually provided, but it's a good idea to pack your own, along with a washcloth). As a foreigner, you might want to make a long show of washing, since the Japanese often assume that we gaijin don't know enough to cleanse ourselves prior to bathing. Before getting in the water, wring out your washcloth and use it to preserve your modesty, like Eve with a fig leaf. Rotenburo, or outdoor baths, are especially prized for their open-air settings; often they face a mountain or overlook the ocean. Be careful: In Japan, the "very hot" classification is 108 degrees or above—hotter than what most Westerners find comfortable. The Japanese consider that bathing nirvana is achieved at the yudedako, or "boiled octopus," stage. Place a folded washcloth on your forehead to keep cool.

A Guide to Bathing in Japan

The very best way to experience an onsen for the first time is to ask a friend who knows the ropes to take you. If you're braving your first bath alone, there are books and Web sites to offer guidance. The do's and don'ts are extensive and, when written down, start to make the entire experience seem like a minefield of violations. Take heart. You need go only once to figure it out.

Before your first visit, memorize the Japanese kanji for men and women, so you don't walk in the wrong door. Often, there's a color code to help you out. Blue curtains hang at the entrance to the men's bath, and red curtains at the women's.

Here, the basic guidelines:
1. Take off your shoes or slippers at the entrance to the dressing room.
2. Take off all your clothes in the dressing room and put them in a basket; fold a large bath towel over the top.
3. Take only a small white towel (usually provided by the front desk or sold as a souvenir) into the bathing area. This is your washcloth.
4. Sit down on a stool in front of a hand shower and spigot. Wash yourself thoroughly, from the neck down, with soap and water.
5. Rinse thoroughly with the bucket and sprayer, and be sure to rinse all soap off your stool and shower area.
6. Step into the bath. Do not jump or dive in. Do not submerge your head or shampoo your hair in the tub. Do not bring your towel or soap with you. But you can chat, if you like, and exult, if so moved: "Goku-raku! Goku-raku!"—"It's heaven!"

And from the Japan Times:

BALNEOTHERAPY

Getting into hot water for health

By MASAMI ITO

Staff writer

In the hot-spring heaven that is Japan, there are a countless number of onsenfrom Hokkaido to Okinawa, from those of luxurious spas in nondescript concrete buildings to rotenburo set in pristine natural surroundings.

A dip in an onsen may be pleasant, but it takes three weeks of onsen therapy to reap real medical benefits.

Obviously what lures millions of onsen bathers back again and again is that wonderful feeling of just being able to close your eyes and forget about life's daily hassles -- the boss, the crowds, the headaches. The relaxation effect of onsen, however, is just the tip of the iceberg.

"Onsen therapy has various medical effects," says Yuko Agishi, a 71-year-old physician and honorary professor at Hokkaido University. "It is a type of alternative or complementary medicine, not directly curing the cause of the disease but treating the body as a whole; assisting in recuperation, rehabilitation and disease prevention."

These medical benefits have given onsen a central role in balneotherapy, which is a comprehensive bathing treatment conducted to maintain health, normalize dysfunctions and prevent illness. Generally, the elements in this therapy are onsen, gases and climatic and geographical factors.

In the Edo Period (1603-1867), onsen therapy, then called toji, was widely practiced by the common people. For work-wearied farmers, toji was an especially valued feature of their hard lives. After a long day's work, they would go to an onsen to relieve their mental and physical strains as well as to ready their bodies for the next day's toil.

Just as those sons (and daughters) of the soil used toji to recuperate, so today's stressed-out workers are turning to "onsen therapy" (nowadays, generally termed "balneotherapy") as well.

Balneotherapy is often conducted in combination with other treatments such as aquatic therapy and massages.

"According to Archimedes' principle, a person experiences just one-ninth of their weight when underwater," says Agishi. "Therefore, it is a lot easier to move around and do exercises in the water. Aquatic therapy is most effective for those who need rehabilitation, whether from a car accident or because of neurological disorders."

An onsen's chemical makeup is one of the key elements of balneotherapy. According to the 1979 revision of the 1948 Onsen Law, nine types of onsen water are recognized as having proven medical benefits. These arenisankatanso-sen (spring water high in carbon dioxide), tansansuisoen-sen(hydrogen carbonate), enkabutsu-sen (chloride), ryusan-sen (sulfate), tetsu-sen(iron), io-sen (sulfur), sansei-sen (acidic), hoshano-sen (radioactive) and tanjun(spring water that lacks these attributes but has a temperature of over 24 degrees).

"For example, sulfur onsen are quite effective for chronic articular rheumatism," says Agishi.

Bathing in these various types of onsen is used to treat other illnesses, such as arthralgia, chronic skin diseases, diabetes, constipation, menstrual disorders and so on. And by partaking of this natural therapy instead of using conventional medication, it is believed that people can also strengthen their immune system and thus enhance their ability to heal themselves.