And now for something completely different: rules for using the communal bath in a Japanese hotel. A friend of mine just visited Japan and spent a night in a ryokan, a traditional country inn. I'm not sure if this hotel is an onsen, a hot-spring resort, but they plainly have a bathing facility. What I'd heard about these places is that they are tending less and less to feature pools that men and women can use nude together, but this inn evidently keeps the tradition alive. I think their instructions are quite reasonable, though tattooed people will be disappointed. I'm not sure what "Fuji no Yu or Koge no Yu" are, but rather than a special soap, I think they actually refer to a pre-bath, so you'll be "cleaner than clean" when you get into the rock pool. Incredibly, my friend said he didn't use the bath, but he photographed the instructions.
Use of Baths We firmly refuse your request to enter the baths when you are drunk or if you have tattoos on your
body. Please do not take pictures with a camera, mobile phone or a video camera in the baths. Please do not drink
hot water in hot spring bath. It is not recognized as drinkable. Note that you must wash your hair or body in the
washing space, and that you must wash all soap bubbles away from your hair and body with water before you enter
the bath. When you enter the bath, please do not take a towel, bath towel or bathing suits. Please do not use a
toothbrush or razor in the baths, because someone may be injured with the used toothbrush or razor blade. If you
use the hot spring rock bath, please wash your body in Fuji no Yu (for men and women) or Koge no Yu (for women)
before entering. The hot spring rock bath is for mixed use of men and women except for specified times only
women. Please use good manners and do not look at those of the opposite sex with special curiosity. Otherwise we
may ask you to leave our hotel.
