OKUHIDA Onsen Gifu ken

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The road between Matsumoto (Nagano ken) and Takayama 'Gifu ken) is one of the few roads linking the western and eastern parts of the japanese Alps through the moutains (long tunnel).

This road links kami-kochi area to Hirayu Onsen known as Okuhida with many onsen, most have rotenburo with view on montain, rivers and forests.

Many have mixed baths, frequented by families and couples switching from the river to the onsen.

Okuhida garden hotel Yakedake at shin-Hirayu is a modern ryokan with a mixed rotenburo.

Kami no yu at Hirayu is a mixed rotenburo but has a direct view from the bridge crossing the Kamata river.

Hodaka ryokan is an old style japanese hotel along the Kamata river, on the left side before Shin hodaka ropeway, with a lady outdoor bath and a three level mixed rotenburo. Probably the most frequented by couples and families in the area. The ryokan has also private bath along the river.

Awa no yu : on the road between matsumoto and Hirayu has a special milky mixed water where ladies feel confortable. The white color of the water is not transparent at all.

Okuhida is also very popular for montain hikker. You can take the 3,200 meters long ropeway at Shinhodaka Onsen and going up to Nishihodaka guchi. You can enjoy breathtaking scenery in every season at a hight of 2,156 meters.

If you love the past don't miss a visit of Takayama with its preserved old town.

Meotobuchi Onsen

Meotobuchi Onsen & Oze Marshland

This onsen is really amazing by the large number of out door bath: 10 mixed bath and 2 for women only.

Located on the shore of a beautifull small mountain river, the largest bath is only filled in the summer with fresh spring water, ideal destination when the weather is hot and humid in Tokyo.

This onsen is attended by many couple , the gender ratio is generally well balanced.

Meotobuchi in Tochigi ken, marks the entrance of the Okukinu Onsen area, called the home of the secret onsen, some only accessible by foot.

If you like hiking, overnight at the hotel and walk from Okukinu Onsen to Oze Marshland located at an altitude of 2000 m . The whole area is designed as a National treasure.

The Empress Komyo: purifying the soul

In the past in Japan taking a bath was generally more for purification of the soul that only for cleaning the body.
People believed that the bath would exorcize the imputities like the death, illness, menstrual blood.
In the West one makes effort to avoid to sin and so have a chance to go to the heaven.
In Japan on thinks that the vileness of the soul get fixed on the body like the bad smell all along live, but could be vanish through a daily bath.


The Empress Komyo : Old writings have shown that in the budhist temples during the 8th century there were steam bath. Wealthy people were paying all costs hopping to be payed back by god. Those wealthy people were taking care of the bath of the poor and the sick person themselves.
The exemple came from of the beautiful Empress Komyo:
People were saying she was embraced with a divine light proof of here spiritual progression. One day the light disappeared. She sought that the reason comes from the fact that she was not enought pious, and committe to give a bath to 1000 poor and disabling of any age and any gender.
The thousend person who came was a leprous one. The Empress did not vacillate and during the time she was giving him the bath the aura came back.

Hokkawa onsen

Hokkawa view at the sunset

I will show a few onsen i went and where the people who goes there respects still the way i suppose japanese people were soaking in the past before western influence;

Hokkawa onsen is one of this places, it is a public bath, in front of the sea away from the major tourist trafic, This is one of the onsen where couple and even group of ladies come, even if some times the number of menis very high;

The sunraise at 6:30 or the sunset is a fantastic experience, soaking in the warm water looking the see and dreaming about the States on the other side of the ocean.

Let me tell you what an Obaa san, who came from Osaka with her husband and overnight in a local ryokan, talled me while soaking together with friends from Tokyo:

This hot tub right on the ocean, sharing the water, view and wave sounds with total strangers i a real pleasure. I think it's natural and actually healthy to be able to get naked for the sake of a good soak and not be all embarased in front of strangers. Men and women mixed ... no one cares at this point

The origin of the public bathe(Sento)

The bath is one of the few practices which has not been imported from China, the origine comes from a purification ritual related to Shinto belief. Before entering in a temple believer have to purify themself with water. Taking a bath would therefore be associated with an other Shinto purification ritual; the salt heap in front of many houses or stores.
Before the development of the public bath, Shinto temples were the first places where ordinary japanese would take a bath.
There were two kind of bath:
* the "Yu" hot water bath and
* the "Furo" or steam bath.
Those bath were in a special building inside the temple court yard, not fare away from a wellspring. In the first room the water was heated in a huge wooden bath tub. The steam was conducted through bamboo tube in a second room, the "Yu-YU", with an other large wooden bath tube full of hot water.
The first Sento appeared during the Heian period (8th century).
Unlike temple bath where people was dressed in white yukata and silence prevailed, the public bath (Sento) autorized the nudity and talks. The name of such bath was "Machiyu" or literally "the hot water in the city"
During the Edo period with the developemnt of the cities the bath became a trully relaxation and pleasure place. The number of bath increased rapidely. Competition pushed the sentos to multiply services, like restauration room, relaxation room , massage and men who scrubbed ladies and ladies who scrubbed men. This evolution transformed the Sentos in the major socialisation place in the Japan. The development of mixed bathing has been helped by an all time tolerance of the japanese sociaty toward social nudity, particularly in the lower class.
This attitude was fondamentally different from the prudishness that prevailed in the West, where, since the middle age the nudity was comdemned by the Christian religion.
After the Meiji revolution with the opening of the country to the western influence, the japanese autorities imposed the gender separation in the public bath. Many of them built just a wall inside the bath room high enough to separe the view not the talks.
Similar evolution happened in the Onsen, but japanese people resisted to the western prudish pressure by using a small (or large ) bath towel to cover their body when soaking in mixed bath.
In most tradional onsen swimsuits are not autorized because it does not fit with the fit with the purification ritual of the origin

Hoshi Onsen

Hoshi Onsen : A tast of the japanese bathing tradition

Hoshi Onsen is unique among all onsen in Japan. Originally built in the 1870's the onsenis mananged by the fifth generation of the Okamura family.

Hoshi Onsen is said to be one of the only 50 onsen sites built directly at the source, water flows directly up through a peble and rock aquafiltre. No water is added to cool down.

There are two inside bath the large one mixed and the other for ladies, open for day bath from 10:30 to 13:30 . Many couples meet at this place but some time too many men are soaking in front of the lady changing room door . In the water no towel are autorizide.

Soaking in the water inside the old building the view of the wooden structure is extraordinary. In this place you get a litlle tast of the japanese tradition of mixed bathing in the Edo periode. Enjoy and respect the rules

Adress: From Tokyo take the Shinkansen Joetsu to Jomokogen, the the public bus to Sarukyo and transfert to the Hoshi shutlle (calla before)

Sukayu : A new challenge for the mixed bathing

Sukayu Onsen : A new challenge for the tradition of mixed bathing :
A campain has started by agroup of concerned citizens to stop the stares of men at one of Japan's most famous Onsen resort that still practices mixed bathing.
The Konyoku wo Mamoru Kai (protect Mixed Bathing Association) has seen an increase of mento the Sukayu Onsen resort in Aomori. With the increase of men, they have also sen an increase of women complaining that men are leering at them.
The Sukayu Onsen has been visited for almost 320 years, and features a huge bath of 260 square meters. sukayu has signs for both men and women's bathing areas, but features no walls to obstruct the view when entering the bath.
Mentality evolution:In the past, before the Meiji era and the opening of the country to western influence, all bath were mixed. Kids from both gender were educated to share bath. Seeing the oposite sex naked was the rule. Under the presure of mostly the british and americans the bath became step by step separate by gender. Today there are a few places where mixed bathing it still the rule.But the gender ratio is often not very balanced, (two for ten) what makes the ladies unconfortable to share the pleasure of the bath.
Let me know your opinion on the subject and what you suggest to keep one of the greatest benefit of the tradional japanese culture

Unzen onsen in 1880

The famous bath of Unzen:

Unzen is a small village where all houses are hotels full of people attracted by the hot springs. The water is coming out of the earth every where, hot, cold ,between the rocks and the threes.

There are many bath where, men children and ladies totally naked share the bath together.

They enter in the wather then come out sit beside the bath waiting for the sun to dry them.

Europeen impression:

I allwas remember the image of for naked girls walking in the main street of Unzen when we arrived the firts day of our visit. They were not surprise nor shide by our presence. They greet us with a "ohayo", and let us take fotos of them. Later we meet mens and them other ladies all naked walking down the street. Sitting in front of their hotel we crossed many naked ladies broshing their hair.

O Furo (1891)

Letter from an European diplomat invited by the governor of a seaside city:
The evening of my arrival, we had an excellent dinner, the sake was tasty, the governor his wife and daughters share it with me. The young servants looked like charming dolls, the music the songs and the dances played by the geishas brighten up the party.
At seven o clock next morning, my servant Araï san waked me up:
Sir your bath is ready;
I jumped out of my bed and said:
Araï where is the batroom?
Sir there is no batroom in the governor house.
So Araï san where is the tub?
With his hand he show me the window : overthere sir.
I was surprised, knowing that the garden was there.
When i moved the the japanese window what an extraordinay view.
Early june the japanese miniature garden with lakes, rivers, bridges and lanterns was beautiful.
But if the sunny morning scene was charming the one who really surprised me was going on at the opposite side. A few metre from the house was wodden tub in the middle of the flower beds.
In frony of the tub, the governor, his wife his daughters, and the maids totally naked.
I thought they just finished to take their bath and being myself a little shide i closed the window asked :
Araï, have they finished to take their bath?
No Sir they wait for you!
What, why they wait for me?
Arai said: to share the bath with you. In Japan politeness imposes that the guest starts first; after you comes the governor, then his wife, his daughters and the maids.
It is a great honour for them all to be here and to help you, the distingished and honorable guest!
Araï, i do not have a swimsuit!
He smiled modestly.
Sir they do not have either.
Sure but they are used to but not myself. Could i skip my bath this morning?
Oh Sir this is impossible!You would be seen as a dirty man. In Japan there is no worser reputation that being a dirty man and that would ruine your reputation and your mission.
Ok i will join and i started to walk to their direction.
AraÏ stopped me said : please take off your pyjama here.
When i opened the door the governor, his wife and his daughters run in my direction ;
We exchanged a lot of greatings first, then he congratulate me for my strait legs. he asked me the permission to touch my knee because they seemed different from his ones, the laddies did the same.
Finally i reach the tub and jumped in the water. But i jumped out as fast i enter.
The water was boiling: japanese people take their bath at a temperature we cannot support.
Loocking to my servant i talled him that i take the morning cold.
I informed them yesterday, but they sought that it was a jock§
The governor asked the maids to change the water for cold. During all this time we where naked.
Finally i toock my bath in the cold water.
At my surprise the governor did the same. The japanese politeness requires that he takes his bath in the same water that mine. For him, used to take the bath in hot water, it has being a torture. After him his wife, his daughters and the maids did the same.
The next day i left the governor shamed; i hopped that they will not get pneumonia:

Comment:
*this letter relates the reaction from the first westerner in Japan. Their difficulties to understand the cultural difference.
* The westerner pressured the japanese autorities to change their lifesytle .

Mixed bathing in japan:

Long ago in Japan the houses didn't have a bathroom. But there where many public bath every where. The traditional Japanese Inn or " Ryokan"didn't have bathroom either in the guest room and even now some don't have yet. Japanese people do not like do be alone in small bathrooms. Japanese people like to relax in big bathroom even with stranger. This is the japanese bathing style

In the past there was no separation between man and women in the bathroom and even today the familly takes the bath together.

So, for the japanese people it is ordinary matter to take a nude bath, without worrying about gender.

At the end of the nineteens century when Japan open to the West, the pressure from the prudish europeens and americans forced japanese people to change their way of life and most of the onsen became separated bathing.

Custom of mixed bathing kept up to now:

Though it decreased, the habit of mixed bathing is still kept.There is also a japanese association to promote the culture of mixed bathing. This association defends the mixed bathing as a legacy to be defended for the benefit of the futur generations.

Definition of mixed bathing in Japan:

It is more than just man and women who are bathing together!It is a social event where people meet from both gender, of all age, all social positions, in an complete spirit of freedom, with no cloth in public place hot spring to share a bath.

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