A lot of people have probably heard the word Onsen, they are places of bathing in Japan, common in resorts, and often filled with water from a natural spring. They are comparable to hot springs in America but there is a lot more etiquette that one should keep in mind while using an Onsen.
If you are staying in a hotel there will most likely be a Yukata (浴衣), sandals and a towel for you in your room that you should wear before going to an Onsen. If neither item fits you, you can come in regular clothes. Before you leave you should check the bathing times as some places will switch over who can bathe where throughout the day or week.
One of the hotels I visited the night I arrived, the indoor public bath was for men and the outdoor for women. The next morning I went to use the public bath and they had switched them so men could use the outdoor public bath and females could use the inside public bath.
Make sure before you leave that you drink some water!
Upon getting to the onsen the first thing you will encounter will be a curtain with either the kanji for male (男) or female (女). Curtains are often blue for male and red for female. Always check the kanji as some locations will switch who can use which Onsen depending on the day or may have different colors.
Past the currents you will see the changing room with lots of lockers or baskets. You want to take off your clothes, shoes and any other belongings on your person and put it into the locker or basket. You should only bring a towel with you into the shower area.
Next in the showering area you will wash yourself before entering the onsen. You will sit on a stool and fill up a basin with water and dump in on yourself. You will lather yourself up and wash before rinsing the soap off. If you have long hair enough that it will touch the water you should tie it up now.
Now for entering the onsen itself you are fine to cover yourself up, some onsen allow you to wear a towel especially for females. However make sure your towel does not enter the bath and fold it to put on your head or to the side of the onsen. If it does fall into the onsen make sure to wring it outside the onsen and not into it. A general rule of thumb is to make sure nothing but your washed body is in the onsen.
Next you can slowly start making your way into the onsen. Be mindful that these baths are very hot so watch how you feel and spend around ten minutes submerged up to your shoulders and then get out to rest on the rim. Repeat this two to three times, but no longer than 30 minutes to avoid overheating and other complications. Now you get to enjoy the atmosphere and the view. (This is the view from the onsen in the Associa Takayama Resort in Takayama).
At this point you can dry yourself off with your towel before returning to the changing room. If you want you can also wash yourself off again in the showering area, which can be helpful if you have sensitive skin. After getting out make sure to have some more water and bask in the relaxation from your onsen trip.
Hopefully this covers the basic etiquette expectations in an onsen and will help you feel more at ease going to an onsen if it’s your first time!
~Sean
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