Stress Therapy at the Japan's Hot Springs

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Often indoor baths have a wall of glass with a view of a small Japanese garden. Some resorts also have outdoor baths called rotemburo. These are greatly appreciated by bathers. The water is usually contained in a clever arrangement of large volcanic rocks; a "waterfall" may add to the allure, sometimes emerging from a bamboo tube. The outdoor bath is often partially covered by a roof supported by smooth cedar posts.

Some rotemburos are fashioned into large ponds, set along mountain streams. Takara Gawa Onsen is one such perfect example of this. Set in a mountainous area two hours by train north of Tokyo, this hotel offers four oversized rotemburos set on both sides of a verdant ravine. One is reserved for women while the others are mixed. You walk along a narrow path following the rushing mountain stream, coming to the first mixed rotemburo. In the change hut (with separate women's and men's sections), you remove your yukata and slippers. Women may wrap themselves in a huge towel, which they can keep on while bathing. The men however, will just have to make do with the regulation washcloth. Somehow decorum is maintained and a good time is had by all.

     
The setting of the Takara Gawa Onsen rotemburos is spectacular. Dense green forests on both sides of the stream enclose the ravine, and the mountain stream consists of a series of rapids. A few carefully placed Japanese stone lanterns and a long bamboo trough from which hot water splashes into the first bath make the scene even more picturesque.

And after sundown, the scene is even more exotic, illuminated by lights from the stone lanterns. In winter, deep snow everywhere, including on the boulders protruding from the stream, makes for an otherworldly scene.

For those visitors who prefer a more intimate experience, some onsen resorts offer private rotemburos in front of each suite. A more affordable variation of this is where the hotel has not only "public" rotemburos but also one or more small ones, which are available for rent by the hour - for groups up to five. The most affordable Japanese bath experience, albeit the least intimate, is provided by sento or the neighborhood’s public bathhouses. Many have survived to this day even though most homes now have their own baths.

Nozawa Onsen, a mountain village north of Nagano, still has 11. They are open long hours and are free. The oldest is built entirely of wood and is an outstanding example of traditional Japanese carpentry.

 

The variety of Japanese hot springs is endless. There is even a rotemburo for monkeys. At Jigokudani Onsen, near Nagano, in the middle of a forest, a primitive rotemburo has been constructed along a stream, which is popular with wild monkeys. During the winter, with snow all around, they like nothing more than soaking in the water to keep warm.

To complete this very indulgent experience, guests are served a huge traditional dinner made up of many courses with small portions of almost every traditional Japanese dish. Good bathing and dining are very inextricably linked so guests are not at all expected to hold back in satisfying their gustatory desires.
 

After the meal, unless you are with a group indulging in karaoke, there is nothing better to do than collapse into dreamland on the very comfortable futons, which are spread out on the tatami mats.