{"id":2795,"date":"2020-03-24T00:30:36","date_gmt":"2020-03-23T15:30:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vhbloglive.wpengine.com\/?p=2795"},"modified":"2020-03-24T00:30:37","modified_gmt":"2020-03-23T15:30:37","slug":"onsen-etiquette","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.villagehouse.jp\/en\/local-area-guides\/onsen-etiquette\/","title":{"rendered":"Onsen Etiquette"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

One of the most popular places to\nvisit in Japan is it\u2019s historic onsen. The hot springs are world famous and\nusually have a spa attached to it. Depending on where you go you may have a\ndifferent experience, but generally you will always come out of it refreshed.\nThere are a few rules about onsen that you should know, so that you will have\nthe best experience possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Shower\nBefore the Bath<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In Japan you don\u2019t bathe to clean\nyourself, it is more of a relaxing way to destress your body and remove all of\nthe negative energy from the day. Since that is the case you will need to wash\nyourself before entering the bath itself. Every onsen will have a shower area\neither next to the hot bath or in a room before entering the bathing area. They\nusually have shampoo, soap, and conditioner for you to use that is basically\npart of the entrance fee. Wash yourself thoroughly and make sure not to take up\nany more space than necessary. There won\u2019t be separate stalls and everyone will\nshower in the same area before the bath. If you don\u2019t shower before entering\nyou will anger the regular customers, and they may tell the staff to correct\nyou or remove you from the onsen. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Your\nBirthday Suit<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

When you make it to the bathing area\nyou will see many of the regular patrons completely in the nude when going into\nthe bath. This is a requirement and other clothing or towels are not allowed in\nthe bath. These articles of cloth are seen as dirty, since you have used them\nto either dry yourself or they have been against your unclean skin. If you\naccidentally do get in with a towel the other guests will let you know. There\nare some onsen in Japan that do have a bathing suit rule, but this is usually\nfor mixed bathing onsen. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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No\nTattoos<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

As many people have heard, there is a\nstrict no tattoo rule in almost every onsen in Japan. It is based in the fact\nthat traditionally anyone who had a tattoo was a member of the yakuza, the main\nJapanese crime organization. Yakuza would typically have traditional Japanese\nart tattooed on their skin and it would signal to people which family or branch\nthey belong to. The best thing to do is to ask if you can keep them covered\nwith a towel. If you have a Japanese friend or guide with you, get them to do\nthe talking. More times than not, you will be refused though. Even though most\npeople and owners still hold this rule there has been a push to allow tattoos\nthat don\u2019t resemble yakuza ones. Japan has been gaining more tourists every\nyear and they are finding that they are losing out on lots of travelers\u2019 money.\nTry your best to find ones that don\u2019t have signs or a written statement about\nno tattoos.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Don\u2019t\nlet it all Hang out<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Even though the areas for bathing and\nshowering are open and everyone can see everything, you will have a small towel\nthat can be used to cover small parts of your body. You will see the other\nbathers use it when walking to and from the baths and showers accordingly. This\nis the same for both sexes and should be followed. That being said, if you\ndon\u2019t decide to cover up, the rest of the bathers most likely won\u2019t care. It\nisn\u2019t seen as a strict rule for covering up, but more of a common courtesy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Get\nComfortable<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Once you get into the bath you should\nstay for a while. It isn\u2019t a quick process, and you should enjoy the soothing\nwarm waters for a long as possible. You will even see some people falling\nasleep near the edges of the bath. During this time most people will become\nmore sociable with you. The same people who were giving you looks before may\ntry to start up a conversation while you soak. These situations tend to relax\nJapanese people and they can feel more at ease when dealing with strangers. If\nyou don\u2019t want to be sociable you can simply tell them so. You should try to\ntalk with them though, as most are trying to practice English or are simply\ncurious about where you come from. There is always a chance to meet a new\nfriend who knows about some of the secret spots in town. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Other Basic\nRules<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n