Land Of The Rising Son
2 min read日本語

Way Of Bath

Way Of Bath

Bathing is truly a unique experience in Japan.

A cypress-lined bathroom with a rectangular wooden soaking tub filled to the brim, a wooden step alongside and a window onto a fence outside

I never thought about the art of bathing while growing up in Central British Columbia, when as a child, I was taking my weekly bath on Sunday evening. Jump in, scrub up, wash off the soap (yes, while in the same water one soaped up in is where one also rinsed)

No showers in those old Canadian houses.

The concept of bathing in Japan is significantly different from those long-ago and distant memories from Canada.

First of all, the Japanese always wash themselves BEFORE getting into the clean bath water; Make sense to me.

After one has scrubbed all one’s grub off outside the tub, it’s time to soak in the Japanese style tub, which is considerably deeper than those in the west.

A different concept from the west, often the mother and fathers bath along with their children, even into elementary school ages.

Bathing Japanese style can also be a communal event.

Actually, just the other day, I was visiting my friend, and he also happened to have a couple of guest from Kyushu as well.

Now, I had never met these people before, but in the next morning, it was decided to jump in the car and go to a Japanese style inn where they have a big public bath.

Stripped down, and off we go the three of us, having a great time scrubbing up, and then chit chatting while lounging in the outside wooden bath while viewing the surrounding mountains.

Nothing quite like a bonding session with a new acquaintance while sitting stark naked with the other men in a bath tub!

This old Japanese inn also had some delicious items on their menu and we all enjoyed an excellent lunch of blowfish and fresh mountain vegetables after our bath.

Fish and split dried fish grilling on a wire mesh over glowing charcoal in a round sunken hearth, tongs resting on the grill A small blue-and-white bowl of simmered mountain vegetable stems in dark broth, on a worn wooden table A white dish of blanched fiddlehead ferns and green mountain vegetables with slices of carrot

You can see the public baths around Japan, in hotels, traditional inns, and new super spas where they have party facilities and entertainment as these places continue the Japanese Way of Bath.

Dear reader, as one experience the Japanese bath, one will understand the ritual of bathing in Japan entails much more than just the mundane task of washing oneself. Bathing is an event and experience to be appreciated as an aesthetic daily act, with the byproduct of that is to become clean, not only physically, be indeed, with a cleaning of ones own heart and soul.

I hope one will have the opportunity to experience that Japanese bath in the Land Of The Rising Son.

The entrance lobby of an inn with a carved wooden sign, a drinks vending machine, a mirror and an umbrella stand A lounge with a long timber table built around a sunken hearth, rattan chairs, a pendulum clock, and a man seated at the far end A round wooden hearth table with a metal ring and pot stand set over glowing charcoal A woman in a grey top standing and smiling in the inn's lounge, with benches and hanging ornaments behind her A wall covered with hand-written menu strips in yellow, prices marked in red A raised tatami alcove crowded with framed pictures, a hanging scroll, a bonsai, a seated Buddha figure and an incense burner A heavy round wooden table beside an ornately carved high-backed leather chair

Check out this historic inn and their historic bath.

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