HAVE YOU TRIED ONSEN ?

Have you ever tried onsen, hot springs, in Japan?

　I know a woman who won't try onsen. She said, "I'm a shy westerner." I know its not your custom to be naked with other people, but when you try onsen with a little courage, you'll understand why we Japanese people love onsen.

　Long ago, hot springs were used to cure illnesses or wounds. Until some twenty years ago, going to onsen was a recreation for elderly people. These days onsens are very popular even among young people. Nagano is one of the areas that have good onsens, and you can find good ones near your town. Abby said you don't have good information about onsens in English, and I promised to write about it. However, I found it's too difficult for me because there are too many onsen in Naganoken, and I don't know enough. I think the best way to know about onsens is to ask your Japanese friends or coworkers, but anyway, I' ll try to write something to help you.

　　DIFFERENT TYPES of ONSEN

　　　１　 Traditional Onsen Hotels

These expect the visitors to stay one or more days. They provide rooms, meals, and an onsen. Usually you can take an onsen anytime, so we enjoy bathing many times in a day. You can also enjoy Japanese-style rooms and meals. Some good hotels are expensive, but it'll be a good experience to get a taste of Japanese hotel service.

　　　２　 Soto-yu: Onsen Baths Outside the Hotels

　In the onsen areas, there are public baths for citizens. Since long ago, people in the area have enjoyed these natural resources together. Usually people work together to maintain the bath. Most of them are old, not so big, and don't have new kinds of facilities, but their water is plentiful. You can find them in the old onsen areas like Shibu (Yudanaka town), Nozawa Onsen, Bessho(Ueda city), Shimosuwa, and Kusatsu (Gunma Pref.).

　　　3　 Higaeri Onsen, a New Type of Onsen

　 'Higaeri' means 'not for staying.' These onsens have hot spring baths, and sometimes saunas or other facilities. Some of them have restaurants or shops as well. They are very popular now because we can enjoy onsens easily with reasonable fees (around 500yen). You should be careful not to confuse them with 'super sento' in some big cities. It's just a public bath, not a natural hot spring.

　　　4　 Roten-Buro, Open-Air Bath

In Japan, we love outdoor baths. While we are relaxing in the warm

water, we can enjoy views of mountains, rivers, the sky full of stars, and sometimes snow! Many of the hotels or higaerionsen have open-air baths, and you can also find some rotenburo near rivers or in the mountains.

　　　５　AshiｰYu, Onsen for Feet

　If you are too busy to go to an onsen or you are too shy to take a bath with other people, ashi-yu are good for you. You can find them in some onsen areas. In Shimosuwa Town, you'll find one in a park by Lake Suwa. You take off your shoes and socks, sit by the water, and put your feet into the hot water. The onsen water warms your feet and makes you relax . Chatting with the people sitting beside you is also fun. Usually you don't have to pay for ashiyu.

　　HOW TO ENJOY ONSEN

　If it is your first time taking an onsen, maybe you don't know how or what to do. It's not difficult. Watch the people around you and do as they do. Even so, I'll write the way we take onsen in short.

1 When you are staying at a hotel, everything is ready in your room or in the bath. If not, you　have to bring your own towel Some old baths don't have soap or shampoo, but usually you'll find them in the baths.

2 Buy your ticket at the entrance or the reception desk. Of course, you don't have to at a hotel.

3 Take off your clothes in the locker room. Sometimes it's not a locker, but just a shelf or a basket. We walk into the bathroom with our towel in front of us. We are also shy.

4 Before jumping into the bathtub, we take a thorough shower to keep the water in the bath clean. Also we don't use our towel in the bath tub. Of course we don't wash our bodies in the bathtub. We warm ourselves and relax in the hot water.

5 Before going back to the changing room, we wipe with our towel and dry our bodies, so the changing room doesn't get wet.

　　WHERE TO GO ?

　Nagano-ken has too many onsen to introduce here. You probably need not only names but also their places, fees, and other information. At first I tried to choose some of them, but its too difficult. I found a good web site about onsen in Nagano. It's in Japanese, but you can understand the information you need, I think.

　address: http://www.mtlabs.co.jp/shinshu/onsen/index.htm

　　　　　(信州とっておき情報　　useful information about Nagano)

1 Click onsen（温泉）　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 This mark means onsen or bath.

2 Choose the area on the map. (There are four areas in Nagano)

3 You'll see the places of onsen on the map of the area. Choose the number.

4 You'll find the name and the picture of the onsen, the map to go , the fee, etc. If you find the name of the place is difficult to read, then ask anyone near you. The best information will be from the people around you.

　　GO AND ENJOY ONSEN! GOOD LUCK!