Just after Christmas, my elder brother in America plans to visit me here in Osaka, marking his first-ever trip to Japan. Of course, it being a cold winter holiday, the first place I’m going to take him is to a nice warm onsen (温泉, hot spring). I truly enjoy onsen, and this time will be especially nice because we’ll be staying at a rather ancient ryokan (旅館, traditional Japanese inn) in the mountains of Wakayama-ken (和歌山県, a prefecture in the Kansai region of Japan).
Anyone who’s spent time in Japan knows how important ofuro (お風呂, the bath) is to Japanese society and life. An onsen is very much like a sentō (銭湯, neighborhood public bath), except that the water comes from a natural hot spring, usually situated directly underneath the onsen. The idea of a public bath is completely foreign to most people from Europe and America, and those who are aware often come up with their own interpretation of a public bath, completely misunderstanding the idea as it’s practiced in Japan.
The sentō tradition extends back more than 500 years and is connected with a desire for purity that is found in the Shinto religion and, therefore, within Japanese culture. For instance, before entering a shrine, one must purify oneself by rinsing both the mouth and hands at a temizu, which is a water pot and ladle found at the shrine’s entrance.
The word hitogomi (人混み) is Japanese for “a crowd of people” and is composed of the root words for “people” and “impurity” and underscores the connection between the two. Because Japan is a densely populated nation, anyone away from his home or office is surely forced into contact with many people, thereby coming into contact with the dirt of the city and its crowds. Often one of the first things a Japanese person does after returning home is to wash his hands, rinse his mouth, or bathe, so that the impurities from outside may be cleansed. Purity isn’t limited to special sacred places; instead, it is extended to one’s home.
The Japanese way of bathing: rinsing, washing, rinsing again, and then finally getting into the tub, is taken for granted by most Japanese, but is almost unheard of by the rest of the world. There are many web pages devoted to teaching people the proper “way of bathing”, and it’s definitely worth reading before going to an onsen or sentō for the first time. (See JNTO guide, for example.)
Social context of bathing and sentō
The Japanese believe that bathing together is a way to break down barriers of communication between people of different social status or background. The term hadaka no tsukiai (裸の付き合い, naked companionship) (article) refers to the existence of a bond of real trust between people. In other words, Japanese feel that when one is so comfortable and trusting of another that they disrobe and bathe together, they forge closer ties.
Nudity shows complete vulnerability, for where can one conceal weapons when one is unclothed? One does not need to hold onto pretenses any longer. The tensions of the outside world will cease to interfere while one is in this environment. This idea of closeness is an important part of both professional and social life for adults. Equally important is the kind of closeness between mother and child referred to as skinship, which is considered to be of great importance for Japanese child development, and which is believed to be fostered through the use of sentō.
The Japanese are in a unique position then, socially. Although less-than-open about their private lives, they are nonetheless accustomed to sharing close, personal space with many people. It is impossible to escape others when traveling via public transit, especially during rush hour. Apartments and houses are often very small and close together so that more people may take up less space. If a person wishes to bathe, even such an intensely private activity may be witnessed by many at a sentō or onsen. In order to survive and thrive in such close quarters, the Japanese language provides a rather complex set of polite speech patterns, and Japanese are accustomed to being highly deferential to others, which inserts some artificial distance between people.
If this is the case, how can people reconnect with one another on a more informal basis? Of course, it’s at the bath. The bath is more than just a bath. It is a place to talk to one’s peers and friends; a place to educate children; and a place to relax and wash away cares. In essence, it’s the perfect place to reconnect with what may be lost in the daily grind.
