Welcome to the Hotel Oike in Kawaguchiko, a town in a lake near the Mount Fuji. This is one of many hotels that you can find in the outskirts of the Mount Fuji. It has the distinction of having an Onsen with a view of Mount Fuji. The onsen which literally means hot spring is a warm bath whose source is volcanic origin and sometimes deemed for their therapeutic properties. These Onsen can be indoors or outdoors and nudity is obligatory in all Onsen. This is why it is always a separating between men and women in the bathroom. The tradition of bathing in Japan, particularly the Onsen, dated from the 8th century. All Japanese continue this tradition all over the country.
There are a few rules of etiquette to follow in the Onsen. The Japanese are very strict about this ritual, then follow the instructions below :
- Nudity is obligatory in the Onsen, so the bathrooms are separated Male / Female children of both sexes are admitted in both baths, when they are very young) so watch the signs and indications at the entrance. Of course the swimsuits are not allowed, except in certain types of institutions such as water park or it will be specified by the institution ;
- You have at your disposal lockers to put your belongings and valuables, so use it ;
- You will also have at your disposal baskets to lay your towel and other less important matters ;
- In the bath you can take with you a small towel. It will allow you to hide your private parts if you prefer but you can also use it to dry a little, rub yourself ... Some Onsen allox to keep this towel in the bath, in others signs explicitly prohibited it. Then most of the people put it next to thebath or put it on their head. It is also forbidden to wash your towel in the bath ;
- Before entering in the bath, you absolutely have to shower. Japanese baths are a place to relax and not to wah yourself. It is unacceptable in Japan to enter a bath while you are still dirty or with traces of soap on the body. There are showers or box with showers as well as soap and shampoo in all Onsen ;
- It is forbidden to jump into the bath and you have to be careful not to disturb the already present people ;
Well! These are the rules to follow in Onsen in order to comply with the Japanes ritual of baths. After that, you just have to enjoy and relax....
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