2012年02月25日
Getting Into Hot Water
The Japanese fondness for being naked in hot water with complete strangers can take some getting used to for people from other cultures. The custom is at least partly due to the existence of numerous hot springs in these mountainous volcanic islands. Japan has 108 known volcanoes and one of the highest number of hot springs in the world. It can take a lot of courage the first time to take a bath with strangers, but once you start, it is a very hard habit to break. It feels so good to sink into the mineral-rich water and soak away the fatigue and stress of daily life.
Many true hot springs are located in the countryside and they often have an outdoor bath for bathers to enjoy the sights, sounds and fragrances of nature. Most hot spring baths are now indoors and separated by gender but there are still a few outdoor baths that are not segregated. The curative properties of the water differ depending on the mineral composition, but I often find that my skin feels much softer for several days after.
Natural hot springs are attractive tourist destinations in Japan and are usually surrounded by hotels and inns. The closest natural hot spring area in Takamatsu is Shionoe at the southern end of Takamatsu. The mineral water is actually heated up for the baths rather than coming hot out of the ground. Shionoe is located about 20 minutes by car past the airport on Route 193. There are also buses about once an hour. The hotels will allow you to use the bath for a fee and you can also eat in the restaurant and stay overnight.
For those of you who want to try a hot spring bath in Shionoe, I’ve introduced 3 below:
1.Gyoki no Yu (bath only, not a hotel): 430 yen (adult) 220 yen (children)
Bring your own towel, shampoo and hair dryer. Soap is provided.
Open 10:00 22:00 (closed 1st and 3rd Mondays).
TEL: 878-893-1126
2.Sanuki Onsen: 500 yen (adult) 300 yen (children)
Bring your own towel. Soap and shampoo are provided.
Open 9:00 21:00. Open year-round. TEL: 087-893-0300
(Accommodation: 5,400 yen to 6, 400 yen/person with breakfast only.13,000 yen/person with breakfast and supper)
3.Kabakawa Kanko Hotel: 820 yen (adult) 510 yen (children).
Towel, soap, shampoo and hair dryer are provided.
Open 10:30 21:00. Open year-round. TEL: 087-893-1200
(Accommodation: 6,000 yen/person without meals. 12,000 to 14,000 yen/person with breakfast and supper).
If Shionoe seems too far, you could try a public bath near you. Although not mineral hot springs, public baths (sento) still offer a wonderfully hot soak and some add mineral salts or herbs to the water.
* For instructions on how to use a Japanese bath or hot spring, check out these websites:
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2292_how.html
http://gojapan.about.com/cs/livinginjapan/ht/ht_bath.htm
(Gyoki no Yu)
Many true hot springs are located in the countryside and they often have an outdoor bath for bathers to enjoy the sights, sounds and fragrances of nature. Most hot spring baths are now indoors and separated by gender but there are still a few outdoor baths that are not segregated. The curative properties of the water differ depending on the mineral composition, but I often find that my skin feels much softer for several days after.
Natural hot springs are attractive tourist destinations in Japan and are usually surrounded by hotels and inns. The closest natural hot spring area in Takamatsu is Shionoe at the southern end of Takamatsu. The mineral water is actually heated up for the baths rather than coming hot out of the ground. Shionoe is located about 20 minutes by car past the airport on Route 193. There are also buses about once an hour. The hotels will allow you to use the bath for a fee and you can also eat in the restaurant and stay overnight.
For those of you who want to try a hot spring bath in Shionoe, I’ve introduced 3 below:
1.Gyoki no Yu (bath only, not a hotel): 430 yen (adult) 220 yen (children)
Bring your own towel, shampoo and hair dryer. Soap is provided.
Open 10:00 22:00 (closed 1st and 3rd Mondays).
TEL: 878-893-1126
2.Sanuki Onsen: 500 yen (adult) 300 yen (children)
Bring your own towel. Soap and shampoo are provided.
Open 9:00 21:00. Open year-round. TEL: 087-893-0300
(Accommodation: 5,400 yen to 6, 400 yen/person with breakfast only.13,000 yen/person with breakfast and supper)
3.Kabakawa Kanko Hotel: 820 yen (adult) 510 yen (children).
Towel, soap, shampoo and hair dryer are provided.
Open 10:30 21:00. Open year-round. TEL: 087-893-1200
(Accommodation: 6,000 yen/person without meals. 12,000 to 14,000 yen/person with breakfast and supper).
If Shionoe seems too far, you could try a public bath near you. Although not mineral hot springs, public baths (sento) still offer a wonderfully hot soak and some add mineral salts or herbs to the water.
* For instructions on how to use a Japanese bath or hot spring, check out these websites:
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2292_how.html
http://gojapan.about.com/cs/livinginjapan/ht/ht_bath.htm
(Gyoki no Yu)
My Profile
Cathy Hirano キャシー ヒラノ
I've lived in Japan since 1978. After graduating from a Japanese university with a BA in cultural anthropology in 1983, I worked as a translator in a Japanese consulting engineering firm in Tokyo for several years. My Japanese husband and I moved to Takamatsu in 1987 to raise our two children in a slower-paced environment away from the big city pressures. We've never regretted it. I work as a freelance translator and interpreter and am involved in a lot of community work, including volunteering for Second Hand, a local NGO that supports educational and vocational training initiatives in Cambodia, and for the Takamatsu International Association. I love living in Takamatsu.
Cathy Hirano キャシー ヒラノ
I've lived in Japan since 1978. After graduating from a Japanese university with a BA in cultural anthropology in 1983, I worked as a translator in a Japanese consulting engineering firm in Tokyo for several years. My Japanese husband and I moved to Takamatsu in 1987 to raise our two children in a slower-paced environment away from the big city pressures. We've never regretted it. I work as a freelance translator and interpreter and am involved in a lot of community work, including volunteering for Second Hand, a local NGO that supports educational and vocational training initiatives in Cambodia, and for the Takamatsu International Association. I love living in Takamatsu.
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