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| Hilton - Mt Yotei |
You can often visit and pay to use other hotel facilities as a non-guest like I did, prices for non hotel guests were 1000yen at both Mominoki in Hakuba and Hilton in Niseko Village which has the most amazing view of Mt Yotei.
In my attempt to convince you its all worth while, I thought you would be pleased to know onsen water is believed to have healing powers derived from its mineral content and have been a part of the culture here in Japan for millennia becoming even more popular with the arrival of Buddhism to Japan in 552 AD where onsens were used and still used today as a means of cleansing and purification.
Onsens are primarily associated with this idea of purification and relaxation, I don't know about you, but the idea of bathing nude with complete strangers is not my idea of relaxation!
My first onsen was definitely an overwhelming experience, I went in without anyone explaining properly what I was meant to do, other than clean yourself and no swimsuit allowed! I chose to go in the middle of the day when most people would be skiing and snowboarding, hoping there wasn't many other women there. I was correct, however my downfall was I had no one to copy to see how it was all done but in hind sight I would have looked like a right creep staring at all the other naked women while they washed and tried to relax, so hopefully by reading this you will avoid any accusations of being a pervert.
After spending a month in japan I became quite familiar with the process and on my last day bumped into some girls I knew from my hotel. They had that first time look of terror about them so I gave them a run down of whats what, recalling my first time and wishing I had had someone to fill me in on the correct etiquette of what to do and where to go.
knowing I wasn't the only naive westerner I thought I'd help out some of you onsen virgins by writing an onsen etiquette blog.
The Onsens are separated in to male and female baths so once you enter you can get undressed and place all your clothes and belongings in the baskets provided. Leave your larger towel with your clothes and take a smaller hand towel to hold over your front torso to cover up as necessary while you walk to showers and onsens.
Instead of bathing in someones second hand sweat, after they have just been doing laps of the mountain, you have a sit-down shower prior to entering the onsen. Once you find the 'low walled shower' cubicles clean your stool with soap before you sit down (it's not a stool, it is a seat apparently) and thoroughly wash yourself, take off your makeup and wash your hair, soap and shampoo is usually provided.
Now you and your birthday suit are ready to make your way in to the onsen and submerge and indulge in the hot, healing, mineral rich water which is often not clear and can be Bone white, emerald green, muddy gray, tea brown even rust red which are just some colours that can be witnessed and enjoyed, the variety of colors is just one of the amazing aspects of these japanese hot springs to contemplate.
If your feeling a bit prudish then you can wear your towel over to the onsen and remove when your ready to enter, leaving your towel on the side (be sure not to let your towel fall in) or bundle your hair up with it, which is what I typically do, as you'll need to tie long hair up anyway and also means I have my towel right there to grab for swift coverage when I'm ready to leave.
Regardless of knowing everyone would be naked I was still self conscious about the whole experience. Getting my fuzzy funnel web legs out for a bunch of strangers to judge made me super insecure, but once I was there and stripped off, I realised that this is normal for the japanese and they are not phased by female nudity and most of the other westerners and especially onsen newbies, are probably feeling the same awkwardness as me.
Revealing ones self physically or metaphysically, most people will feel some amount of insecurity. Whether thats their weight, their scars, their stretch marks, their lack of muscle, too hairy, tan lines, pubic hair shape, seriously its simply endless the amount of internal critiquing we do and the amount of fear we have about being judged. The naked truth is we all feel it, we all do it and not one of us cares about how hairy you are or your scars or weight. The only thing I felt was how empowered and inspired I was by everyone of those women who over came those initial fears and let themselves been seen in their rawest state.
Once I was in, the experience was deeply relaxing and who would have known that bathing naked with a bunch of strangers could be such bliss. Word of warning though, don't stay into long or you will over heat and that bliss I just mentioned, quickly transforms into "shit, I think I'm going to pass out, drown and be found floating stripped of all dignity".
If your having these kinds of thoughts, you've definitely stayed in too long and I suggest retreating to the outside bath (if there is one) which is usually cooler, to regain your composure or exit completely and get some water into you. I recommend going in anywhere from a quick dip to 15mins.
Now Ive become a regular at the onsens, and knowing the etiquette and overcoming my initial fear of being exposed and in my most vulnerable state, in the company of strangers, has become a wonderful, purifying, healing and indulging experience.
It has allowed me to view saucha, and especially the physical aspect of this niyama in a new light and can see why the onsens are frequented by buddhist monks as part of their purification rituals.
For me the whole process is a meditation and act of self love. I allow the heat to penetrate my muscles and help ease any of my aches and pains, I then close my eyes and become still and give myself time to meditate and clear my mind, cleansing it of any toxic thoughts. Afterwards I have a quick wash off in the "tall walled" shower with no soap and get a cup (or five) of water to rehydrate. After drying off, consider the "after-feel", the lingering change to your skin and mind? My face is usually left shiny and bright red like a tomato. You can then moisturise, dry your hair and get in to your clean clothes…..The purifcation ritual is complete.
Hopefully now you can enjoy your onsen experience with less confusion and navigate your way through this ancient, traditonal cleansing ritual like a pro.
Mountains of Love
Laura xxx
Hi, I'm Laura, Passion-fuelled Yoga teacher, Snow seeker, continusouly exploring my boundaries to get the most out of my time on this wonderfully diverse planet. - welcome to my blog!
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