Japanese people have loved baths since long ago, and many of them head off to hot springs on their days off.
It is said that soaking in a hot spring not only warms the body but also relaxes the mind.
However, there are several rules you must observe at a hot spring.
First, you have to wash your body clean before you get into the bath.
Putting your towel into the water is also a breach of etiquette.
Also, if you have long hair, tie it up so that it does not touch the water.
At Japanese hot springs it is normal to bathe without a swimsuit, which apparently startles foreigners the first time, but once they get used to it the pleasure seems to win out.
Recently hot springs have become more popular with foreign tourists as well, and more inns now provide explanations in English.
If you soak in an open-air bath in the mountains while gazing at the snow or the autumn leaves, you are sure to feel glad you came to Japan.
By all means, give it a try at least once.
Tap a word in the text to see its meaning. Tip: characters are not marked wrong while the IME conversion is still pending. To fix an earlier line: clear the current one, then press Backspace again to step back.