👘 [Japanese Week] 🗾 What to do in Japan: Relax in an Onsen (温泉)

You’re not going to experience Japan at its fullest if you skip a visit to a Japanese hot spring or onsen. They’re easily recognizable thanks to this symbol ♨ or the Japanese kanji (温泉).

Virtually spread everywhere in the country, there are not all of the same kind. This is exactly my mission today, to show you all the possible differences! Shall we start?

1.       ONSEN versus SENTO

As you know, Japan is a volcanically active island meaning the underground lava acts as a water boiler and this comes upper to the surface. Hotels, ryokans, and bathhouses that use this kind of water are the proper hot springs (温泉 - onsen ♨). Places, where the water is heated with mechanical machines, are called bathhouses (銭湯 - sento ♨).

ryokan's sento in Fukui prefecture

A lot of onsens are indoors but cities like Hakone and prefectures like Hokkaido and Kagoshima are well known for their stunning outdoor onsens, so keep this in mind if you happen to travel there.

2.       PUBLIC versus PRIVATE

Most of the hot springs are public and you'll certainly be able to find one that suits your budget since they can go from 400 円 (more or less 3€) to more expensive ones....which are, obviously, fancier!

When I say 'private' hot springs I mean ryokan's and hotel's ones, but there are also private cabins in public onsens, to guarantee privacy if you don't feel like going around naked among strangers.

3.       SEPARATED (by gender) versus MIXED

Almost all onsens are divided between men and women, but in case you ought to try there are also mixed ones. Personally, I've been only in one that was mixed, Takaragawa Onsen, in Gunma prefecture, yet I still opted for the separated area, which was far quieter and scenic. 
However, if you think you'll see naked people in the mixed hot springs, think again because you're going to be given special 'bathing suits' with consist in ordinary swim shorts for men and a long, plain dress for women. 

4.       Types of Water

The most amazing characteristic and what makes a hot spring different from another is the water...You can literally find every kind of water you could think of: clear, milky, black, and everything in between. 
If you go to more than one you will also notice that the water texture is different, since the chemical composition changes from area to area: from sulfurous waters to chloride-sodas ones, depending on their composition the benefits will be sundry!

WHAT TO DO WHEN YOU'RE INSIDE

And now...a brief I promise guide on how to behave inside the onsen; there are reminders in every changing room, so you don't need to memorize them now, anyway!

• In the case of separate hot springs, you need to be completely naked. And you can't wrap your towel around your body while changing pools.
• No photos in the pools area, no food, and drinks (but that's common sense, right?)
• You can talk, but in a low tone, to not disturb the other customers.
• You have to wash up meticulously before entering the pools. You forgot shampoo and body wash? NOT.A.PROBLEM because the majority of the onsen have their own washing products (or brand ones, like Shiseido for example) as well as brushes, q-tips, lotions, and hair dryers for you to use, freely. How cool is that? Some of those beauty products are really high quality and sometimes they can be expensive...

a ryokan's onsen changing room detail

So, this is it for today. I really loved going to onsens or sento, it's relaxing and you can have some quiet after a day immersed in the Japanese crowd...You could indulge in one before going to bed, I guarantee you'll sleep like a baby afterward.

Ph: all the photos in this article are my own, if not otherwise stated, and yes, OF COURSE, I asked for permission beforehand.