Onsen bath

The use of hot springs for bathing has a long tradition in Japan. The onsen bath has its origins in the tradition of communal bathing in the 7th century. At this time, Buddhism was spreading in Japan, where water played an important role in religious ceremonies and rituals as a symbol of purification.

With the construction of Buddhist temples, the first forms of Japanese baths were also built. In the 13th century, a large, heatable tub was built in Nara together with the temple Tōdai-ji, which was originally used for the ritual purification of religious statues. At the same time, a kind of herbal sauna was built in the Hokki-ji temple in Ikaruga, which was mainly used to treat sick people. Over time, these early bathing facilities also opened up to the general population and laid the foundations for Japanese bathing culture. As recently as 200 years ago, every Japanese person visited a public bathhouse on average 25 times a month - in other words, almost every day.

As the whole of Japan is located in a volcanically active area, onsen can be found almost everywhere in Japan. Places with many well-known healing springs developed into resort towns that often have the suffix "-Onsen" in their names, such as Kusatsu Onsen in Gunma Prefecture or Arima Onsen in Kōbe.

Traditionally, onsen baths were not only places to relax, but also a social meeting place where village communities came together to bathe and socialize. Here, the whole village bathed together and unclothed, without gender segregation. It was only with the "westernization" during the Meiji Restoration in the 19th century that men and women were separated. Today, there are only a few onsen where bathing together without clothing is still permitted.

With the equipping of private homes with full baths, going to the bathhouse is increasingly becoming a thing of the past. The supply of hot water is also taken for granted today. Nevertheless, many Japanese people hold on to the tradition and appreciate the special atmosphere and sense of community in an onsen bath - some still visit it every day.

A visit to an onsen follows fixed rules, which are mainly about hygiene . In general, anyone visiting an onsen for the first time should get used to the water temperature slowly and start with short bathing times. In addition, an onsen should not be visited directly after a meal.

When entering the onsen, first take off your shoes at the threshold. Then you go to the changing area, where you take off your clothes and store them in a basket or shelf provided for this purpose. Swimwear is not permitted in most onsen as it is considered unhygienic.

Before entering the actual bath, it is compulsory to clean yourself thoroughly: To do this, you sit on a small stool and shower yourself with soap while sitting down. You must not stand up to avoid splashing other guests with water. After rinsing thoroughly, you can now immerse yourself in the hot water of the onsen bath. Many Japanese wear a small cloth (tenugui) on their head, which can also be used to dab sweat from the forehead and cover the genital area and tattoos on the way from the changing room to the bath. In order not to contaminate the water in the onsen, the important rule of conduct is that the tenugui must never come into contact with the water.

There are special bathing slippers for the toilet area, which must be put on before entering. These and many other small rules show that hygiene is a top priority in the onsen.

In addition to hygiene, great importance is attached to peace and quiet during your stay. Quiet conversations are allowed, but loud talking is not encouraged. Men and women usually bathe separately, although there are occasionally mixed baths. Tattoos are not permitted in many traditional onsen, as they are associated with yakuza, organized crime, in Japan.

Social hierarchies are leveled in the relaxed atmosphere - in the onsen, the small employee sweats next to the company boss, without rank or status playing a role. Nevertheless, it is mostly families, friends or couples who visit an onsen together.