The Art of the Japanese Onsen Bath

If you have ever traveled or plan to travel Japan, you will have no doubt enjoyed or heard about the amazing food, beautiful scenery, and the unique culture that is Japan. 

Apart from experiencing the sushi, yakitori, anime, and Harajuku subculture, there is another truly amazing experience that any serious tourist must try. This experience is actually a part of everyday Japanese life that has been practiced for centuries – the Japanese Onsen bath. 

If you have never tried a Japanese Onsen Bath, you will be missing a truly unique and amazing experience, and one that is deeply ingrained into the Japanese culture and daily life.  All Japanese, young and old, rich or poor, take part in the regular ritual of soaking in hot mineral waters.  

So what exactly is a Japanese Onsen Bath? If you have ever seen that famous National Geographic photography of the snow monkeys enjoying what seems to be an outdoor hot tub, they are actually soaking in an onsen.

But to equate an onsen bath to a hot tub is completely understating the onsen experience! 

Japanese Onsen Baths are the famous hot water spring baths that are found all across Japan. The term “Onsen” technically refers to the thousands (over 3,000) natural hot spring areas scattered across Japan. And these are just areas. It is estimated that there are over 25,000 onsen bath facilities located in these onsen areas which just shows you how beloved onsen bathing is in Japanese culture!

In fact, the Japanese have enjoyed bathing in these mineral-rich waters for thousands of year, dating all the way back to the 7th century. Because of this long history, onsen bathing has become practically an art form. 

In order for a facility to be called an official Onsen, it must be certified by the government and contain naturally occurring hot spring water which contain a minimum amount of specific minerals.  These minerals are thought to provide many therapeutic benefits and may include sodium chloride (salt), calcium chloride, and sulfate ions. It is thought that the mineral enriched waters have many healing benefits, from arthritis to skin ailments, and even war injuries!  

Fun fact: the Samurai medieval military officers were known to use the mineral enriched healing onsen waters to recover their wounds after a battle.

Onsen can vary in both size, shape and location. Outdoor onsens like the ones the snow monkeys enjoy are known as roten-buro.  Some onsens are located indoors and are known as uchiyu and will have the natural hot spring water piped into the baths. The style of onsens can range from modern looking baths to beautiful outdoor onsens with spectacular landscaping with trees, plants, and even waterfalls. Some indoor facilities even have televisions for bathers to enjoy while soaking! Ahhh…that’s the life…

While there are over 25,000 places to take a natural hot spring bath, the Japanese also just love soaking in hot water. Almost as popular as going to an onsen, is taking a hot soak in one of the many public bath houses known as sento, which do not contain natural hot spring water but have manmade heated tap water. The water may be fortified with special minerals to simulate the healing powers of natural spring mineral water. 

There are literally thousands of these public baths all over Japan. They may be located in hotels and are found in many residential neighborhoods.  In fact, the public bath serves as a community center of sorts, where neighbors often congregate to socialize.

You would think between the thousands of onsens (natural hot springs) and sentos (public bath houses) that are available in Japan, that the Japanese would have their fill of bathing. But no, soaking in a hot bath is so ingrained into everyday life, that every Japanese home and hotel, no matter how modest, will have a deep soaking tub. Perhaps it’s the intense work life or a love of cleanliness or both, but the Japanese will always make time to fill a tub with hot steaming water and relax after a long day. 

It is also very common for family members to share a soaking tub. For example, my mother-in-law will fill her soaking tub with hot water, turn on the tub heater and have the water ready to go for the evening soak. Then everyone takes turns getting in a good soak right after they have showered thoroughly. Note that I said, you take a soak AFTER you shower. This is a very important aspect of Japanese bathing.

The Japanese believe that you want to keep the bathing experience clean and pure, therefore (unlike American baths) you don’t actually clean yourself  IN the bath. The bath is ONLY for soaking. There are no soaps, shampoos, body wash, etc. used in the tub at all even in the home bath.

In an onsen or sento (public bath), there will always be a showering area located prior to where the actual baths are. Here, you sit down on a small stool and bathe yourself with the complimentary shampoo, body soap, etc. There are little buckets or pails to fill with water to pour over yourself to rinse off the suds. Be sure to give all your nooks and crannies a good scrub!  There are some other rules of onsen etiquette – read here for my Complete Onsen Etiquette Guide: How Not to Act Like a Foreigner in a Japanese Onsen Bath – that are expected and must be followed in order to not get kicked out! 

In general, onsen etiquette dictates that since the Japanese onsen bath is a communal experience, you should respect fellow bathers and keep the area as pleasant as possible. That means minding your personal space and being respectful of other bather’s personal space.

Use the stool to sit on while bathing as it is considered very rude stand up while taking a shower since you may splash others with water. (And no one needs to see a show of someone showering.) As stated previously, the most important onsen etiquette is to shower thoroughly before entering the bath. This includes washing your hair. 

It’s sacrilegious to enter an Onsen or public bath without thoroughly washing every nook and cranny and washing your hair – you will get nasty stares or even be asked to leave by the staff. The idea is to keep the bathing water as clean as possible so that others may use it.  If you think about it’s both environmentally friendly and practical- you don’t waste water and you don’t leave any nasty bathtub rings!

The vast majority of onsen and public bath houses offer gender specific bathing where men and women are separated.  However, it is alright to bring children of the opposite sex into an onsen if they are young enough (usually around 8 or less). One can be assured that it is perfectly safe – I’ve never had any issues with having my two tween boys take onsen by themselves. 

Some onsen or sento/bath houses will offer the use of a private onsen which is perfect for families or shy tourists trying onsen for the first time. In Japan, it is very common for families with small children to bath together.  One needs to ask the front desk to make reservations and there may be a small charge.

So…now comes for the obvious question you may be asking about Japanese onsen baths…”do you have to be completely naked???”

Well, the short answer is..when in Rome…yes.  I believe this fact alone is what deters many foreigners from experiencing the Japanese Onsen Bath. But it should not deter you from this wonderful experience! 

In fact, the Japanese have a phrase for referring to onsen called here is a reason there is a Japanese phrase hadaka no tsukiai which roughly translates to “naked friendship” and refers to the onsen experience creating an environment where people can be completely open and relaxed with friends and family when taking baths together. The traditional Japanese proprieties and hierarchies are literally stripped away when you are naked, so people can act more natural and without pretense. The implication is that you have nothing to be ashamed about being naked in front of others as taking onsen is a completely natural experience.

Admittedly, I was rather shy during my first onsen foray. I initially wrapped my body in the largest towel I could find and quickly walked from the shower and whipped it off right being slipping into the bath water as quickly as possible. And I had to get naked in front of my mother in law! So you can only imagine how mortified I was initially. But now I would say I’m a pro, and have no qualms about naked friendship.

The reality is once you get in that heated water, your anxiety literally melts away and you realize that none of the other bathers could care less (including said mother in law) that you are naked. It’s surprisingly freeing! And darn it, you realize you don’t look half bad naked. LOL. I think it’s quite ironic that Japanese society is a rather conservative except when it comes to onsen or bathing.

Whether it is soaking in heated water in the home, or in a local, neighborhood public bath with friends and neighbors, or making special trips to partake in resort style onsen in a traditional inn, bathing is practically an art form in Japan.

Onsen is such a subculture itself, that there are onsen specific type bath products. Many of the larger and more well-known onsen resorts will even sell their own branded bath products such as cleansing creams, lotions, etc. which you cannot find elsewhere in Japan. I am in fact obsessed with Japanese bath products and love trying new products, many of which have no Western equivalent. Check out my reviews of Japanese bath products here!

I knew nothing of Japanese Onsen Baths until I took my first trip to Japan with my Japanese-born husband and my two young boys. My mother-in-law literally opened my eyes to the wonders of  both onsen and Japanese ryokan culture and I have been hooked ever since. In fact, I would say the top three things I love from Japan are the food, the onsens, and of course my husband (hmmm…and in that order???)

To be fair, my first experience with an onsen was pretty spectacular. We went to Nagano, Japan, which is a former Winter Olympic Venue.  This is the area that has the famous snow monkeys taking steamy and hot onsen baths outside. The look on these monkey’s faces pretty much says it all – that feeling of utter relaxation as the steaming hot water warms, soothes and loosens your muscles, melting away all the stresses of the day spent eating fruit and nuts. 

One can only imagine how stressed out the Japanese are given the intense Japanese work culture and the level of perfectionism that  is expected in Japan.  So its no wonder why onsens are so such an integral part of life in Japan.

The next year was even better when went on a tour of some of the top rated Onsen ryokans located in Kumamoto on the island of Kyushu. Kyushu is an island in the southern part of Japan which is rich with volcanic hot springs and beautiful mountain streams.  Ryokans are known as traditional Japanese inns (kind of like a bed and breakfast spa resort) which offer private onsens both within the rooms/suites and also offer communal onsens which are separated by gender. These ryokans may located in places of scenic beauty often nestled in the hills or next to gurgling streams such as the ones we stayed. 

My two young children absolutely adored the Ryokan Sanga which had both a private indoor and outdoor onsen attached to the suite. We really bonded as a family taking a bath together in the private gorgeous outdoor onsen (roten-buro) with the gorgeous fall foliage and gurgling stream in the background. 

We were lucky to stay at such a nice ryokan but there are many to choose from at all price points. So there is just no excuse for missing out on a traditional ryokan onsen experience. 

When you stay at a Ryokan, they will give you comfortable cotton robes known as a Yukata which is the ryokan version of spa or resort wear. Guests are encouraged to wear their yukata during their entire stay at the resort, even to the dining rooms.  You can also sleep in the yukata. So the nice thing is that you can pack light for a ryokan visit. Just pack enough clothes to go sightseeing and then when you return to the ryokan, you can lounge in your yukata the whole time. You do not wear the yakuza off the property though.

When you stay at a ryokan, both breakfast and dinner are typically included with your stay. Breakfast is typically a ten course meal in a communal dining room or it may be a buffet. A typical traditional breakfast will include rice, miso soup, salad (yes, salad), grilled fish, fresh vegetables, and some form of egg.  Some ryokans will also serve a more western style breakfast in the form of a buffet. Breads, eggs, bacon, sausages, and salads may be served. 

Fun Fact: There is a even a dish called an onsen egg which is very popular. It is a slowly poached egg which has silken texture and is served in a dashi broth. Try it!

With my first onsen stay I was pretty impressed with breakfast, but the dinner completely blew me away, literally. Ryokan resorts are famous for their cuisine which is known as Kaiseki cuisine. Kaiseki is incredibly artistic and typically uses only fresh, seasonal, local fruits, meats and vegetables. Appearance is just as important as taste and each dish is literally a work of art. Kaiseki cuisine is made for instagramming!

Your dinner will be served in a traditional tatami room with low dining tables or you may even have it served in your room. The dishes will always include a soup, fish, a form of meat, many small dishes of vegetables, an egg dish, a grilled dish, a simmered dish, sashimi, shellfish, perhaps, sukiyaki, rice. 

Dessert is typically fresh seasonal fruit, and the fruit itself will blow your mind away too. Fruits in Japan are just incredibly sweet and fresh, unlike what we have in the United States in which mass production has made many fruits sour or devoid of taste. You don’t realize how delicious a melon can be until you’ve tried one in Japan which is why they are often prized for desserts.

I myself am a big eater, and I typically have a hard time finishing all the food in a kaiseki meal. Expect a minimum of 8-10 dishes (it just keeps coming) so pace yourself because you never know what great dish will come next. One ryokan we stayed at served at least 20 courses and then served a huge sashimi boat for the last course. I was so stuffed, I could barely eat any of the sashimi which was so fresh, it was literally still moving. Wah! I wish they had served it first! 

So I hope after learning more about the amazing onsens, ryokans, and kaiseki cuisine, you will make the effort to try have at least one Japanese Onsen Bath experience – it is a truly special experience that is uniquely Japanese and one that most tourists don’t know about.