What are Japanese Onsen like?

welcome back to TCT time yeah today I wanted to talk about something that's a huge part of Japanese culture whose own sentence and centos all signs are Hot Springs and CentOS are just regular public baths CentOS can be hot springs sometimes right yes but also sometimes there's regular bath houses and they're a huge part of Japanese culture if it's naturally heated isn't it if it isn't it don't end like the waters actually heat from the Earth's always like beacon yeah but some onsen hot springs I think they also bring in like we import the hot spring water yeah the do naturally have a hot spring there you can get hot spring water which has a lot of minerals and sorry good next one smell isn't it like yeah you know yes so yeah those are the something that you can find all over Japan even in Tokyo mmm can you find hot springs in Tokyo like yes Metro has hot springs and that's technically Tokyo so I guess if you go to the outskirts then you can find Domino's gonna be centers right mm-hm yeah Yokohama in the miniature mitai area have a public so yeah you can physically have an on-set in thank you but as even we're saying I think I'm majority of the largest just probably Pat's right but either way there are actually kind of a fun experience a very relaxing experience and many Japanese people love to go there just sound like a day off or you know after a very exhausting day instead of bathing at your own house it's kind of actually very relaxing to go to a center or a hot spring in front of other people yeah so it's kind of awkward at first you've never done this before especially if you come from a western country or a country where culturally you don't really like get naked in front of other people it's very awkward to go in for the first time yeah oh you guys how about you guys first of all so the UK wit quickly proved we were quite private we don't just bathe together it's it's not part of our culture mm-hmm but I I remember the first kind going in an onsen I was actually alone check the house with my girlfriend she went in the female side I mean Demelza but I remember it being a little bit of a strange experience at first just like so well just like naked because you kind of just like it a big like locker room and you have a small modesty towel that you can use to cover your units and you leave your towel in in the room and then you you go and like wash yourself and then you just go and enjoy enjoy the onset mm-hmm it's a bit strange at first but once you just get over that initial kind of feeling it's a bit perfectly fine it's just you just start to enjoy it I think no one like I think the first couple of times you go you know your ways to like everyone's eyes are on you or whatever whatever no one cares yeah make sure you but Stan yes you're designated no no I remember the first time I ever wins when I was with my co-workers and I thought I was gonna cool about Japanese culture I've never experienced and we were in Goodman it's a very famous one income that is probably but a river runs through the middle of it so you got like half the offices on one side and the other side it's really nice this idea and I'm getting there dawned on me oh well I've got tattoo I don't know if I'm gonna be allowed in because I didn't even think of that and then I didn't mention to my co-workers good I mean they knew at that time I always wore like I know I've been working there that long anyway I remember not saying anything going into the changing rooms of thinking well this could all backfire spectacularly or am I going to be able to cover I remember as soon as I got changed John said in the change room area a guy came out Japanese guy and his entire chest like this dragon tattoo and I thought okay brilliant it's not I can relax now yeah basically I guess some on sins are very strict I'd say most of them now you can't actually thought it was getting a little more may well be and I think there are apps now that you can do you can use to tell you where tattooed friendly ones up but on again on the recent Jenny cross Japan trip we did there we in a lot of the hotels in the countryside when you go out a big cities have on sense within them and every single one of them in India panda if you have to do you have the meaning maybe we can assume like that for but I can understand it somewhat because you know in Japanese history a sign of gang membership was that you had tattoos right so it's an easy way of establishments are saying we don't want any kind of yeah exactly anyone come in you can't really say no yeah but yeah I guess that's the downside we that affects people who just want to go and buy and then I recently went to Ulta prevent you to make them insane convinced and then we found out so many oh it's ray oh it is famous for so they are really really open friendly for the passion party because I'm home foreigner is coming to Japan maybe even though it's a bit weird a bit shy experience it's it's very Japanese feeling yeah so maybe we did the famous phrase as all the prefecture miss pallet those are too friendly website as well the website you go to see there maybe you can find the one you can go but you you say that you we went to the also with someone our dump ring oh we have song we affectionately refer to as dumpling amongst other things it was on the journey across Japan trip and we were staying in it's a famous chain of hotels in Japan and we're saying one and I thought okay this is a very well known hotel with Westin it's on booking.com anyone knows it so I shot me I'll be allowed in this one because the previous hotels we stayed up until at that point we're all kind of like little countryside one-off ones save me and as soon as I get there's a big sign said no tattoos and I thought I really want to just go in the on certain size you know it's like 5:00 to midnight it closes in five minutes it's a rush and rush hour once you're under the water I've only got one tattoo here so once you're under the water it's fine it's just the change so anyway I went in there and there was one other person in there who was drying himself in a method I've never seen before this is one lady got sorry he had his power and he was like slapping behind him he hit me in the head and I'm trying to be like he didn't notice and I'm trying to be like quiet and like to scare people without being reported to the hotel staff [Laughter] like a helicopter I was trying to sneak Rani without being like seen and to hum I said okay as he does but but no so I got in and I got and you know no one else in there and it was final one saw sons of water it's fine but all I can say if they do take you seriously I read up on it after the first one I went to and like the police have been called in occasions to remove people who didn't know one little bit of advice I would give people if you're coming to Japan there's a specific onsen you want to go to and you have a tattoo generally you can go in if you can cover your debt to there's no that won't work if you've got like a sleeve or you know it's not gonna work but I remember I went to another one and it was a work thing and we went in the middle of summer and it was kind of an outdoor very nice and we went there and I said to the guy straightaway you should know that I said I have a tattoo and but I can cover it because most places you can cover it they they're fine with it you can even get little stickers well this is this is the thing I'd recommend bring your get some like what you call it just like plaster we're all like I think a band-aid look at that big one has used that because the ones they give you the answer I don't know what they're made from but you cut it out and you put it on you like a transfer and you like you do like you know the old like fake tattoo you yeah okay and you put it and it just puts like a big yellow block over it baby oh and honestly I used rubbing alcohol are you so betting come off for like three months I'm serious I'm saying I was scrubbing till it was like raw and then because it is the height of summer for like six months after that I said a big white square so don't use those ones they give you bring like a band-aid chemicals to remove it it wasn't coming up yeah that stuff is like it's like it's glue and other chemicals in three months is a bit of an exaggeration it left me like it was actually nice three days yes we keep time with guys it's like important time to talk to them if you science mother your brothers or you like close colleague on the business trip or they they they have nothing to hide right yeah so just can't be so you yeah they you're like you can just talk about to be honest kind of mmm-hmm mas a super humbling we have a free spreading Japanese I forgot what it was is it like how about gun on yes yeah so it means like to I don't know to communicate with someone like nation nothing to hide behind yeah everyone is exactly the same so sometimes they do it for business cuz it's not like any chance of fun tape recorder or you know true yeah about some business tip deals specifically in Japan but that probably bought some other places like in books that's why I made recipe that makes sense being you literally have nothing to hide I mean you can really just feel open there's a level of trust that is created by that kind of situation yeah I have experienced that I was with someone who I should just listen to death there but then I was too hot vicodin hey you can stay in the bath it's be like a long conversation conversation could be like Oh too many no but they do in Japanese nothing it too hot oh you can start really dissipate so it's like a hobbit can escape just many having a conversation with someone else in the bath is good but the same time you need to tell them also really cool oh yeah come on don't like force yourself stay in there even if your feelings I'm starting to feel unwell it's important most centers onsens will have like different types of bars they'll have like a super hot one how can I set a plunge pool like they it's very good for the circulation to go from hot to cold and let's see I guess when when you guys go to one do you kind of rotate around all of them or you just stick to the one you like people could see the grandma I just stay in the one place and they just stay just put their body I'm here on Andy and you hear oh man they just just putting it out of the water [Music] that's another thing about young sense when you you can bring a little channel in with you you can put in the water alright you have to keep it on the outside or a lot of spit on top right so what you can do is run it so you get it is coming like a modest I guess I'm walking from thank you but you can use it when when you're showering as well yeah and a lot of people just run it under like the ice cold cold water tap right so they can see in the really hot one and having pipe in there to try not to get wet on the floor right Oh in the locker room this is a big thing in in the changing rooms they have like tatami oh you're right if you come out of the bath straight away and you immediately go and leave pools of water like a slug behind you yeah like yeah people are gonna look at you of it they'll be funny you did this like a dedicated space just in the in the front of the if the changing room where there's like a Mack that you can stand on then you can just at least get some of the water off before you go get you right salomon very true so that's why it when i first so I grew up in Canada but I came to Japan when I was 18 and that was my first time to experience a hot spring and that's kind of why it was also intimidating I was part of me it was like I don't know how I'm gonna how it's gonna be like when I go in there is it gonna be weird to be Nate like I was kind of like you know a little worried about being naked in front of other people of course and my first time going to hot spring I went with a my university which was in Tokyo and there was a school like ski trip so I ended up going in with a whole bunch of other students which you also coming from a western country worried that that might be kind of weird but luckily that was an easier way to like ease into it there was a couple of Japanese friends who like showed me where you put your stuff and likes you come in here and then you put your stuff in the locker and then I remember asking her like so where do we get changed sure like where do we undress she's like oh like here yeah that was like probably the most like shocking thing or just like oh okay like there everybody is around here in the lockers and like my friend uses the locker next to me it's like okay so just start getting naked then but you don't really know what to do at first is the thing that was kind of like intimidating mm-hmm and like what you're allowed to bring in there you should put your hair up with your girl because you can't put your hair in the water so there's little things that you might need to know so I guess gonna not show you basically you you put when you first enter you you pay for there's different options right you can take one of their towels you or and the mini one we can bring your own or you can get like shampoo and stuff like that so you can once you buy your ticket you go in you get a locker key you know change runs likes they get changed and then first before you go into the bar sauce are you going to they'll be this like they'll be rows of a little sink so imagine once you've got change beat stuffing I think yeah they'll be like little rows of like a little shower head and a little store that you sit on and a bucket that you kind of wash yourself boss until you write the main thing is you need to be clean before you enter the bathtub so it's it's you know traditional in Japan you would wash yourself at the showers and then you can go into the water and if the water is meant to just be for relaxing the iSchool tub yeah if you've long hair you need to tie it up um I once got in trouble because I had my hair down like I didn't realize they have to like always keep it up so always keep it up and I guess that's just part of keeping the water clean they come in regularly to like clean the water and like replace the water and stuff but still those little efforts by everyone is what makes it a clean and happy experience different laughs yeah I would say if you're coming to Japan and you're a little bit skeptical about trying it III definitely would even if you're just coming to Tokyo because I go to acento which is like the wind or one not naturally heated it's a very central Tokyo and you know I've only ever gone on my own there and people have just been super friendly like I said people don't care people aren't gonna stare at you people it is just but it's the cool experiences being part of Japanese culture and a lot of them though I'd say don't have much English you might need to get a little Japanese friend of Ben you go there I mean they don't want to turn you away people are gonna help you get the ticket explain as best they can so yeah definitely try it it definitely does help to go with someone the first time like just so they can explain it to you but even if you do go alone I think that you know basically if you just look at what other people are doing yeah I just copy them and then then you'll be fine exactly in a lot of the tourist areas that they're used to having tourists coming and trying on same and everyone has their first time going in one even Japanese people that there will always be a first time they go yeah you see people coming with their families and things and like the father's showing the son or mother showing the daughter how to use the onset mm-hmm everyone has to learn the etiquette for the first time right don't worry about doing anything just a little bit wrong because the people who you get angry with respect and she's good just said like if you are ever worried about what to do or where to go or where to do something obviously respect other people's privacy exactly and it's fine like you people are just so used to being naked um in this space but it doesn't really matter if you see other people being naked it just normal so it's fine to and point across what the most under separated right there are some but they're a little bit of rare [Music] but everything it's gonna be okay and also maybe I don't weigh girls friend the same Wow you guys don't shave each other body Harrison yeah but it's quite interesting to extend those cultures well I guess but it's why I always go away oh yeah just be yourself just enjoy this I agree so we generally generally it's fine nobody stares it's very chill but I've noticed recently recently I went to a very remote island called yo Jima so it's a very remote island in Kagoshima and there's only about a hundred or so people who live on that island it's new yakushima it was a lovely island it's very hard to get to but I was there for like a week so you kind of meet the people who live there and I'm there I went to the onsen like twice and we were nhk thing there so they all kind of know you're doing the shoot but that means you kind of end up talking to the people in the and the onsen which can be nice but it can also be a little awkward because it's definitely a little weird you're just sitting in the water or you're like showering and they'll be talking to you like yeah yeah yeah and also like with a theme as well particularly awkward for me was when I came when I was getting out of the descent oh and like you know drying off another lady came in with her young son because when they're little you bring in your youth the boys can come in too but I had seen him during the shoot and stuff too and that was just for me I was like oh my goodness and I heard like a tiny towel and she talks to me just like oh hi how was your trip yeah oh you're leaving tomorrow and I'm like yes yeah it's trying to cover up a little bit but obviously like it's it's fine but it's a little weird if you're not used to it it's hard to talk to people when you're naked especially not in the water but like yeah they only can accept I think I'm too high or your chance man I'm doing kindergarten yeah I guess otherwise it's a bit too it's a little bit all the way yeah yeah yeah I have one question you might know about CentOS my other yeah not on center centers particularly they always have a massive mural of Mount Fuji they compete against each other the best mural but the most sparkly kind of so if you ever go there in all centers the people who only can write there yes I'm hoody and that's why I heard about because the one that I go to it's the only one in Japan as around and the guy who painted it is one of the original two people who can still claim to be like from the original art and the only other reason I know about it when I was like trying to practice my Japanese there's a show as a cartoon I started watching on Netflix it's brilliant for practically and it's cool when I'll say this man laughing sales and it's basically it's so I can't is short but it's basically the premise is that it is someone who wants something like there's a guy who wants a pay rise or there's a lady once but it really is Japanese culture you see like get on the train and you quit in the morning and and then this guy turns up Morgan oh and sign is I can give you this but there's something bad always happens it's kind of a little bit creepy little bit dark and this is one guy who just wants to go to like see the best food you know so he gives in anyway but yeah parently is quite competitive within the center too has the best view aloof gonna take a look around at the Centers of the city and compare for cheese okay bring your cameras yeah but anyway that that kind of wraps up our topic on own sense and CentOS in Japan and also what it was kind of like fur for us to to first experience the Lyon sense generally the takeaway is that you don't need to feel too awkward about it because everybody it's just so part of the culture that nobody cares if you're naked and nobody's gonna be looking at you maybe in some more local remote areas you might be a bit of a novelty as a foreigner mm-hmm so maybe you would get some stares but I mean that's just but I mean nobody's you know is judging you so people are just there minding their own business and it's a very relaxing and fun experience and for me personally like just learning to be comfortable being naked it was a really liberating yeah yeah and just you know it's just so natural and normal so that was nice back to your birthday soon mm-hmm and you can even do that outside which is not something you can do often like in the look down below the bright outdoor hot spring so I think it's a really nice experience to try if he becomes Japan and don't forget drinking the Mook oh yes I knew that oh that's always vending machine selling like little glass bowls of milk why this is really refreshing yes yes but isn't water refreshing drink some milk yeah I'll try that next time yeah anyway thanks for joining us see you in the next video [Music] [Applause] [Music]

Channel: Tokyo Creative Talk

Views: 23,486

Keywords: tokyo creative, tokyo creative talk, tokyo creative play, onsen in japan, japanese hot spring, tc tea time, tokyo creative tea time

Id: Yqk59zU072k

Length: 27min 10sec (1630 seconds)

Published: Thu May 02 2019