Onsen experiences… Gotta love em.

The sitting down and showering thing does take some getting used to doesn’t it…

I took a long weekend to Nikko in October 2005 and stayed in a ryokan http://www.japaneseguesthouses.com/db/nikko/konishi.htm just up the hill from the Sacred Bridge and it was the most peaceful 3 days I can remember. And yes, it was all about the onsen and the food, which was delicious! All those tiny dishes with just a morsel summing up to about 1/10th of what we Americans eat at a meal and I was amazed at how it filled me and satisfied me completely.

The dining room staff made a point of showing me how to deal with the dishes that were unfamiliar to me even though they spoke no english and I could say very little in Japanese. At the first meal I kept asking for refills on my water, which was served in maybe a 2 ounce glass. The staff managed to find a large 12 ounce glass with cartoon dolphins on it and for every meal after that they had it on my table full of cold water! As I recall my 2 nights in the ryokan cost in total about $450 US which was (IS) more than I would be willing to pay for a week’s lodging under any other circumstances. But the sheer delight of staying somewhere so luxurious in its simplicity and the experience of true service which was mostly “invisible” and the welcoming friendly accommodating staff was worth every penny and I would do it again in a heartbeat.

And I’ve gone on too long but one more story about my ryokan experience. It was my first onsen experience and as a prudish American I was a bit nervous. My first night there I went to the women’s onsen and thankfully I was the only person there which made me feel a lot more comfortable. I had researched and studied onsen etiquette before going so I knew peeing in the onsen was bad. I respectfully sat on the little stool and shampooed, washed and rinsed myself thoroughly before entering the most wonderfully hot spring water. I was very relaxed and feeling so peaceful when all of a sudden two women came in. They washed and got in the onsen with me and smiled and nodded and I smiled and nodded and after about 10 minutes the younger woman began to speak to me in hesitant english! We had a little conversation and she translated for the other woman who turned out to be her mother. They got out and then when the coast was clear I got out and put it down to a real Japan experience. The next day I was walking around the temples in Nikko and two women in the distance suddenly began waving at me! I kept looking behind me thinking they were waving at someone else and it finally dawned on me that it was the women from the onsen.

I will always regret that I didn’t say “Sorry. I didn’t recognize you with clothes on.”