In Japan, Template:Nihongo are hot springs and the bathing facilities and traditional inns around them. There are approximately 25,000 hot spring sources throughout Japan, and approximately 3,000 onsen establishments use naturally hot water from these geothermally heated springs.<ref name="Sacred Waters">Template:Cite book</ref>
Onsen may be either Template:Nihongo or Template:Nihongo. Traditionally, onsen were located outdoors, although many inns have now built indoor bathing facilities as well. Nowadays, as most households have their own baths, the number of traditional public baths has decreased,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> but the number and popularity of Template:Nihongo have increased since the end of Second World War.<ref name=":10">Template:Cite web</ref> Baths may be either publicly run by a municipality or privately, often connecting to a lodging establishment such as a hotel, ryokan, or minshuku.
The presence of an onsen is often indicated on signs and maps by the symbol ♨, the kanjiTemplate:Linktext (yu, meaning "hot water"), or the simpler phonetic hiragana character ゆ (yu).
According to the Japanese Template:Nihongo, onsen is defined as "hot water, mineral water, and water vapor or other gas (excluding natural gas of which the principal component is hydrocarbon) gushing from underground".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The law states that mineralized hot spring water that feeds an onsen must be at least Template:Convert originating at a depth of at least Template:Convert, and contain specified amounts of minerals such as sulphur, sodium, iron, or magnesium.<ref name="Sacred Waters" />Even if it does not meet this definition, if the spring water is suitable for bathing, it is considered a "hot spring" in most cases. However, in that case, there are restrictions on the health benefits that the owner of the spring can claim.
Exactly when humans first began bathing in onsen in Japan is unknown, but historical records show it has a history of at least about 1,300 years.<ref name=":7">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=":8">Template:Cite web</ref> Many of the earliest records of onsen bathing document Japanese Emperors or members of the imperial family staying at onsen for long periods of time. At the time, onsen were thought to be sacred and to have healing properties.<ref name=":9">Template:Cite web</ref> It is now believed those who traveled to onsen in these early records were seeking cures to disease or other ailments by bathing in the onsen water.<ref name=":8" /> This ancient practice of bathing in onsen to cure illnesses, often for long periods such as a week, is referred to as tōji (湯治).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Some of the oldest onsen in Japan are considered to be Dogo Onsen in Ehime Prefecture, Shirahama Onsen in Wakayama Prefecture, and Arima Onsen in Hyogo Prefecture.<ref name=":7" />
Until around the Edo period, onsen had close religious ties to Buddhism with temples often being built near onsen sources.<ref name=":8" /><ref name=":9" /> During the Edo period, however, onsen began to gain popularity among the general population thanks in part to depictions of the hot springs in ukiyo-e.<ref name=":8" /><ref name=":9" /> It is also during this period that the use of onsen shifted from being primarily for religious and healing reasons to being used for bathing for cleanliness and socializing.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=":11">Template:Cite web</ref>
In modern times, traveling to Template:Nihongo is a popular form of domestic tourism in Japan.<ref name=":10" /> During the bubble economy of the 1980s, there was a "onsen boom."<ref name=":10" /> Although the number of overnight guests at hot spring resorts has decreased slightly since the boom, travel to such onsen towns as a relaxing getaway is still popular among Japanese people.<ref name=":10" /><ref name=":11" />
Traditionally, men and women bathed together at both onsen and sentō communal bathhouses, but gender separation has been enforced at most institutions since the opening of Japan to the West during the Meiji Restoration.
Private onsen called Template:Nihongo can be found in many locations throughout Japan. These can be reserved and used for mixed bathing.<ref>"日帰り家族風呂を満喫するなら！知っておくべき混浴に関する条例" Retrieved June 3 2024</ref>
Onsen are a location where considerable offense can be caused if the proper social etiquette is not observed. The general procedure and expected etiquette closely resemble those used at a sento certain hours where outsiders may purchase day passes to enter. Standalone onsen open to the public also exist. Onsen are considered more of a special experience than the sento, which is used for common bathing. Due to their integrated location within a hotel, an entry attendant is rare and bathers will usually wear the hotel-provided yukata and indoor slippers to walk from their rooms to the onsen. Towels are provided to guests at the entry, and shower stations and vanities are fully stocked with toiletries and conveniences for bather's use, instead of guests being required to bring their own or purchase such items separately. Guests should not take wet towels or toiletries back with them or hoard the complimentary items. While it is common after a bath in the sento to quickly re-shower before leaving, many onsen bathers skip this second shower to keep the minerals from the hot spring on their skin. Onsen within ryokan or hotels are generally kept open 24 hrs a day, or only closed for a brief daily cleaning period, to allow guests to freely bathe in the middle of the night if the whim takes them. Popular, private, or specialized baths may require reservations or additional fees.
Ensuring cleanliness
As at a sentō, at an onsen, all guests are expected to wash and rinse themselves thoroughly before entering the hot water. Bathing stations are equipped with stools, faucets, rinsing basins, and complimentary toiletries such as soap and shampoo; nearly all onsen also provide removable shower heads for rinsing convenience. Entering the onsen while still dirty or with traces of soap on the body is socially unacceptable.Template:Efn
One's hair should never touch the bath water and should be worn up.
Even though onsen can be a luxury experience and environment, guests are still expected to clean up after themselves by staying tidy and rinsing off their shower area for the next guest.
Swimsuits
Guests are not allowed to wear swimsuits in the baths or showers and must be completely nude.
The only time swimsuits are allowed and required are in specific modern pools which allow both men and women to use them together, but many of these mixed onsen resemble more of a pool or waterpark than the traditional idea of an onsen.<ref>"温水プールが楽しい！西日本の温泉・お風呂テーマパーク15選" Retrieved June 4 2024</ref><ref>"5 Swimwear-allowed Onsen Spots near Tokyo"JW Web Magazine Retrieved June 4 2024</ref><ref>"Yunessun" Retrieved June 4 2024</ref><ref name="Hadfield">Template:Cite news</ref>
Towel
Onsen guests generally have a small towel with them to use as a drying cloth, since re-entering the changing area while dripping wet is a faux-pas. The towel can also provide a modicum of modesty when walking between the washing area and the baths by holding it loosely in front of your genitals. Though many TV shows depict characters wearing a towel in the bath, this is a television invention used for actor modesty and wearing towels into the bath is forbidden. It is against the rules to immerse or dip towels in the onsen bath water, since this is considered unclean. People normally set their towels off to the side of the water when enjoying the baths, or place their folded towels on top of their heads to keep them out of the water.Template:Citation needed
Tattoos
By 2015, around half (56%) of onsen operators had banned bathers with tattoos from using their facilities.<ref name=Ryall>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The original reason for the tattoo ban was to keep out yakuza and members of other crime gangs who traditionally have elaborate full-body decoration.<ref>Template:Citation</ref> In 2016, the Japan Tourism Agency urged onsen operators to allow foreign customers with tattoos to use the onsen on a conditional basis in order to accommodate the increasing number of foreign tourists.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> On the other hand, onsen operators wanted foreign customers to enjoy the onsen, but were concerned that allowing foreign customers with tattoos to use the onsen would prevent them from keeping yakuza out of the onsen.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
However, tattoo-friendly onsen do exist.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> A 2015 study by the Japan National Tourism Organisation found that more than 30% of onsen operators at hotels and inns across the country will not turn someone with a tattoo away; another 13% said they would grant access to a tattooed guest under certain conditions, such as having the tattoo covered up.<ref name=Ryall/> Some towns have many tattoo-friendly onsen that do not require guests to cover them up. Two such towns are Kinosaki Onsen in Hyōgo and Beppu Onsen in Ōita.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
With the increase in foreign customers due to growing tourism, some onsen that previously banned tattoos are loosening their rules to allow guests with small tattoos to enter, provided they cover their tattoos with a patch or sticking plaster.<ref name=Ryall/><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Benefits
There are various health benefits attributed to bathing in onsen.<ref name=":0">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=":1">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=":2">Template:Cite web</ref> Onsen are particularly renowned for their relaxing and therapeutic effects.<ref name=":2" /> These effects are due to properties such as the temperature, pressure, and mineral composition of the water.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
A 2014 study conducted in Beppu, a city famous for its onsen, found that regular bathing in onsen has various health benefits such as lowering blood pressure, improving circulation and cardiovascular health, reducing chronic pain and fatigue, and lowering the rate of depression.<ref name=":1" /> A survey conducted in Atami, another city famous for its onsen, found that individuals with onsen in their homes were less likely to take blood pressure medication than those without onsen.<ref name=":0" />
There are various types of onsen including carbonated springs, iron-containing springs, acidic springs, strong-smelling sulfur springs, among others.<ref name=":0" /> Each type of onsen is believed to have unique benefits. Carbonated springs, for example, are believed to lead to smooth skin.<ref name=":0" /> Onsen facilities often advertise various health and beauty benefits they claim their water to provide.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Water at some onsen facilities is drinkable.<ref name=":3">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=":4">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=":5">Template:Cite web</ref> Onsen water should only be consumed if it is confirmed to be safe to drink by the prefecture.<ref name=":4" /> The water should be obtained from a designated drinking source that is separate from the water which is bathed in.<ref name=":4" /> The often mineral-rich onsen water is believed to have benefits such as treating iron-deficiency anemia or constipation.<ref name=":3" /><ref name=":5" />
Risks
Article 18, paragraph 1 of the Japanese Hot Springs Act publishes guidance on contraindications and cautions for bathing in hot springs, and drinking their respective waters.<ref name="JHS Act">Template:Cite web</ref> Although millions of Japanese bathe in onsen every year with few noticeable side effects, there are still potential side effects to onsen usage, such as aggravating high blood pressure or heart disease.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Legionella bacteria have been found in some onsen with poor sanitation.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref><ref name="hiuga">Template:Cite journal</ref> For example, 295 people were infected with Legionella and seven died at an onsen in Miyazaki Prefecture in 2002.<ref name="hiuga"/><ref name="Shueisha111069">Template:Cite web</ref>Template:Efn Revelations of poor sanitary practices at some onsen have led to improved regulation by hot-spring communities to maintain their reputation.<ref name="search.japantimes.co.jp">Template:Cite news</ref>
There have been reports of infectious disease found in hot bodies of water worldwide, such as various Naegleria species.<ref name="Shinji Izumiyama 2003 514">Template:Cite journal</ref> While studies have found the presence of Naegleria in hot spring waters, Naegleria fowleri, responsible for numerous fatal cases of primary amoebic meningoencephalitis around the world, has not been found to be present in the water at onsen.<ref name="Shinji Izumiyama 2003 514"/> Nevertheless, fewer than five cases have been seen historically in Japan, although not conclusively linked to onsen exposure.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
Many onsen display notices reminding anyone with open cuts, sores, or lesions not to bathe. Additionally, in recent years onsen have been increasingly adding chlorine to their waters to prevent infection, although many onsen purists seek natural, unchlorinated onsen that do not recycle their water but instead clean the baths daily.<ref name="search.japantimes.co.jp"/> These precautions as well as proper onsen usage (i.e. not placing the head underwater, washing thoroughly before entering the bath) greatly reduce any overall risk to bathers.
In addition to typical Template:Nihongo and Template:Nihongo, there are various other methods of experiencing onsen that can be found at various facilities throughout Japan. Examples include:
Template:Nihongo: onsen steam is released in either a small room or a "steam box" (in which one immerses their body up to their neck) which has an effect similar to a sauna.<ref name=":6" />
Template:Nihongo: shallow baths in which one lies down. These can be used for sleeping, but there is a risk of overheating.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Template:Nihongo: these are usually separate from main onsen facilities and are typically free. As only the feet and lower legs are immersed in the onsen water, users are otherwise fully clothed.
Template:Nihongo: an individual lies in or is buried partially in sand which is heated by onsen water or another source.<ref name=":6" /> Yukata are usually worn in the sand baths and they are mixed-gender.
Template:Nihongo: heated stones on which visitors lie down while wearing Template:Nihongo, or a type of casual Japanese indoor wear.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> As clothing is worn in ganban'yoku, they are mixed-gender and located in a separate location from the nude bathing area of an onsen facility.
Saunas are also sometimes located at onsen bathing facilities. A relatively cold bath called Template:Nihongo is often located directly outside a facility's sauna to allow users to quickly cool down. The cycle of entering hot baths, saunas, and cold baths at an onsen facility is sometimes referred to as Template:Nihongo and is believed to be refreshing and to have health benefits.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Hotta, Anne, and Yoko Ishiguro. A Guide to Japanese Hot Springs. New York: Kodansha America, 1986. Template:ISBN.
Fujinami, Kōichi. Hot Springs in Japan. Tokyo: Board of Tourist Industry, Japanese Government Railways; Maruzen Company, Ltd., 1936.
Neff, Robert. Japan's Hidden Hot Springs. Rutland, Vermont: Charles E. Tuttle, 1995. Template:ISBN.
Seki, Akihiko, and Elizabeth Heilman Brooke. The Japanese Spa: A Guide to Japan's Finest Ryokan and Onsen. Boston: Tuttle Publishing, 2005. Template:ISBN. Reprinted as Ryokan: Japan's Finest Spas and Inns, 2007. Template:ISBN.
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