10 Fun Stories from Japan – a miniseries: The Onsen Story
by The Flamingo
Dear reader, you already know what big fans we are of all things Japan. The Flamingo wrote a 10 story miniseries about funny/awkward/eccentric experiences that can only occur in Japan. I will share with you some more or less embarrassing moments that happened during the trips there, that always make top conversation topics.
- The onsen story
The “onsen” is a thermal water resort, where people soak naked in warm pools (next to people of the same gender).
So there I was, age 21, at an onsen in the middle of the woods, kilometers away from the nearest village. More specifically, I was in the women’s locker room with a 10 or so year old boy staring at me (yeah, they allowed mothers with their boys up to age 12 in the locker room). I stared back at him and said to myself: “kid, this isn’t your lucky day…I won’t strip in front of you”, so I pulled my towel even tighter around me and headed to the women’s pool, thinking I could soak at ease in my bathing suit.
Well…that didn’t happen, what a naïve thought. I walked through the door and entered a dim lit room, full of mirrors and stools…but that’s not the only thing it was full of. It looked like an invasion of Japanese women, all of them naked, all of them very “au naturel” in all the full meaning of the word (if you know what I mean), just walking around in all their splendor, no towels, no nothing. They were talking like they were in a parlor over tea, fully dressed…but they were not. Some were sitting on stools, butt naked and were brushing each other’s hair or drying it with the hair dryer. Every man’s dream…and every prude’s nightmare.
I tried taking a few steps towards the pool, which was in the opposite direction and I sensed them watching me, like they’ve never seen a western woman before, me being the actual invader (later I learned that they were equally uncomfortable with me being “dressed” while everyone was naked). I gripped my towel harder, if that was even possible, held my chin up high…but there were too many of them, too many watching, too many naked, me the only “gaijin” there (the term they use for “foreigners”). My vision blurred. I panicked and turned around, walked quickly towards the exit. I tried opening the door, but it wouldn’t budge…damn Japanese locks. As my panic unfolded, I started pulling harder on the handle but nothing. I was picturing myself as one of those ridiculous cartoon characters pulling on a door with all might, foot included, and felt tears of shame stinging my eyes.
A nice naked lady, all smiles, came to me and asked me in Japanese, if I wanted to enter the sauna. The sauna? I was amazed that in my panic mode, I understood her. I shook my head trying to look her in the eyes, not anywhere else, hoping I didn’t get lobster red…like I’m used to talking to naked strangers all the time. The sauna was the last place I wanted to be in, so I summoned all my Japanese knowledge to ask her where the exit was. She pointed to another door in the vicinity and I bolted towards the locker room. Safe to say, that was my only onsen experience.
What I learned is that the Japanese are very comfortable with their nakedness around each other (or at least around people of the same gender), it’s very natural to them since childhood. I wonder if now, thirteen years later and somewhat wiser, I can muster the courage to go in an onsen (maybe not entirely naked…).
Photo by Tirachard Kumtanom from Pexels
