January 28, 2016 • mccsokinawa.com
Thomas Alan Smilie
W
inter’s frosty breath has drifted into Okinawa—the days are short, dark and cold. Lost in a sea of paperwork, muscles sore from tension and the cold holding you captive in a warm bed, it’s time to shake off the winter chill with a unique Japanese tradition: onsen (hot spring bath). Overflowing with geothermal springs and volcanically-heated mineral water, naturally Japan enjoys the ritual of bathing. Rooted in centuriesold tradition, communal bathing is still a way to socialize, cleanse, heal and forget about the world. There are two main types of communal baths—onsen and sentō. The difference is in the water. Onsen, regulated by Japanese law, must use naturally heated, underground mineral water, vapor
inside
or gas. Sentō, originally created for the city dwellers without at-home baths, use heated municipal water. Communal baths are a social gathering, at one time equivalent to pubs for Westerners. Most Japanese bathe at least once a day. This does not mean a quick rinse from the shower, either. This is immersion—whether at home or at the local sentō. When entering an onsen or sentō, first undress in the locker room. Then wash your body thoroughly at a seated shower station. This way the onsen remains clean. Once rinsed, gently slip into the warm waters of the onsen. Even though men and women bathe separately, for Westerners, it can still be uncomfortable to bathe with total strangers. But for the Japanese, a society built on honor and social status, it is a
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luxury. Social status is stripped along with the clothes. Hadaka-no-tsukiai reflects the atmosphere of an onsen—the fellowship that develops when nothing is hidden. Onsen are a place to just be. Onsen environments vary from open-air to garden enclosed, and the water color can range from clear to milky blue to iron-rich rust-colored, depending on the minerals present. Soaking in a steamy onsen, with the warm water lapping at your shoulders, is a divine experience. Check out our “Pick of the Week” to find our favorite local onsen. More cultural curiosities? Sign up for one of Marine & Family Programs’ Cultural Awareness courses. Call 645-2104 or visit mccsokinawa.com/culturalawareness. —Caylee Reid
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