Rainy Days and Public Baths

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I woke up to rain. It wasn't a down pur but it was constant enough to make sightseeing miserable. Thus the day would be spent in doors doing......homework. Yes homework. Even on Winter Break I had been given the task to read an entire book. However I am fortunate enough to have enjoyed said book. It is called Inspite of the Gods. It is about India as a whole, a critical view of country that I know very little about. I plan to finish it in the next day or so.

The only times I went out were for lunch, dinner, and taking a bath. A bath? you say. Yes a bath. I had the wonderful experience of a Japanese public bath. I loved it. I was afraid it was going to be awkward but it wasn't. I went to two other women for the hostel. One was from South Dakota and the other from Canada. Basically the public bath works like this:

1: When you arrive there will be two doors, one for men and the other for women. Upon entering there will be a large open area with lockers.

2: Pay the women at the front. I paid 410 yen and an extra 20 yen for a towel (it was small).

3: Next you strip. That's right. Right there in the open.

4: Place your belongings in a locker

5: Take a plastic stool and a bucket and your washing stuff into the bathing area.

After this you go inside. There different baths but don't think you can just jump on in. You actually sit infront of a row of faucets The is a little mirror in front of you and you scrub yourself squeaky clean. You basically soap up then dump buckets of water on yourself. After you have thoroughly rinsed you can relax in the tubs.

There are couple different tubs. One was ice cold. Another had electrity pulsing through it. The was a warm water tub with jets and then the last tub was hot.

Overall, It was a pleasant experience I would totally do it again.

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