The truth about onsen

Disclaimer: This blog posting is rated PG-13. In this blog posting, Michelle talks about adult situations, adult nudity and being uncomfortable being naked around strangers. If you aren't comfortable reading about Michelle talking about nudity, please skip this posting and look at photos of Olivia eating sweet potatoes. That is all.

Our Nago hotel was nice. Better than a Super 8, but not the quality of a Hilton. It was like a Marriott that needed a renovation. A little facelift. Not bad, but not great.

One of the reasons we selected this hotel was its feature of a "spa." Spa is a loosely translated word in Japan. Spa can mean a business where you get a chocolate facial. Or it can mean a place where men to engage in illegal activity. Or in this case, it was more like a sento (public bath) or onsen (hot springs bath).

Knowing the translation from spa to onsen, I went to the library prior to our vacation to do some Japanese bathing research. Luckily I found a book that detailed (with cartoon drawings) the proper etiquette for being an onsen user. The book talked a lot about nudity, so I felt like I was prepared.

On our last night at the hotel, I decided (with some coaxing from Benny) to face my fear of the onsen. I had nothing to fear, but fear itself. The unknown was creating this nervousness. Armed with my yukata (cotton bath robe kind of like a kimono) and towel, I reviewed the spa social rules in my head while walking through the door marked "spa."

I found the passage with the sign "Women Only" in Japanese (there are separate spas for men and women) and took a deep breath. It's now or never. I proceeded to walk into the locker room and disrobed. Everywhere I looked women were naked. Fully naked. No shame. Nothing was hidden. It was open. It was a lot of skin.

I disrobed, placed my clothes in a basket and placed the basket on the shelf. Even though the rule book I read at the library said to walk into the hot springs bath room completely naked, I couldn't do it. I wrapped a towel around my body and prayed for forgiveness. After all I am a foreigner.

I pushed my way through the doors and faced a wall of steam. The room, which was enclosed, was designed to look like an outdoor hot spring. I believe that hot springs water was pumped in from a different location. Once my eyes adjusted to the steam, I saw the pool of water filled with women and children to my right. All naked. Yes, children. As old as 8 years old, in my estimation. On my left, was shower cubicles, soap, shampoo, stools, buckets. Women were using these showers as though they were washing themselves in the privacy of their own homes. Exposure was everything. A hook to hang my towel was MIA.

Turning red faced more from embarrassment than the heat, I turned and walked calmly back to locker room. I tossed my towel in the basket. I held my head high as I walked back to the onsen.

I showered at the stalls. This is very important. It is a no-no to enter the hot spring without washing first. If you didn't shower, you are basically mixing your filthy self with everyone else in the public water. Nasty.

I stepped into the pool and tried to breathe through the heat. It was warm. Very warm. I felt my face getting red. Beads of sweat where collecting on my upper lip, forehead. The nude children, who were jumping in and out of the pool, looked at me. Stared at me. I smiled and closed my eyes. Try to relax, I told myself. This is suppose to be relaxing.

I relaxed for a bit before feeling too warm. At that point, I climbed out of the pool, rinsed off, dried off and proceeded to wrap my very red skin body inside my yukuta. I was red. Like sunburned red. Not attractive. I kept my head down as I walked back to my room.

But I did it! I faced my fear of the cultural experience of the onsen and survived. In the end, my skin felt soft and pampered and my muscles were relaxed. It was something I would recommend to everyone. The whole experience helped me understand the group culture of Japan. It was a cultural experience I will never forget and I can cross it off my Last Year in Okinawa list.