Onsen

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An onsen (温泉) is a Japanese hot spring. Many springs are developed, having an associated outdoor bath (rotenburo 露天風呂 or notenburo 野天風呂) and/or indoor bath (naiyu 内湯) often run by a local inn (ryokan 旅館), B&B (minshuku 民宿) or municipality.

Onsens are often found out in the countryside, and are a major tourist attraction drawing Japanese couples, families or company groups who want to get away from the hectic life of the city to relax. Japanese often talk of the virtues of 'naked communion' ('hadaka no tsukiai' 裸の付き合い) for breaking down barriers and getting to know people in the relaxed homey atmosphere of an onsen inn.

Japanese TV often features programs where the hosts visit a local onsen, interview the wife of the owner (okamisan 女将さん), and try out some of the local delicacies. <ref>In March of 2003 it was reported that there were 3,102 spa resorts in 2,292 municipalities in the Japan. There were also 15,400 lodging facilities, or ryokan, associated with the 6,740 public onsen. About 138 million people a year visit these facilities, according to this article</ref>

Onsen are popular in Korea as well. Oncheon (온천) is the Korean pronunciation of the Japanese kanji.

The presence of an onsen is often indicated on signs and maps by the symbol ♨ or the chinese character 湯 (for hot water).

1 Onsen Characteristics
2 Onsen etiquette
3 Infections
4 Recent controversy
5 Selected Onsen
6 See also
7 References and Notes
8 External links

[edit] Onsen Characteristics

Image:Onsen in Nachikatsuura, Japan.jpg Image:Oobuka Onsen Akita 02.jpg Traditionally, onsen were located outdoors, although a large number of inns have now built indoor bathing facilites as well. Onsen by definition use naturally hot water from geothermally-heated springs. Onsen should be differentiated from sento, indoor public bath houses in the city where the baths are filled with heated tap water. Major onsen resort hotels will feature a wide variety of themed spa baths and artificial waterfalls for bathing under(utaseyu 打たせ湯).

Onsen water is believed to have healing powers derived from its mineral content. A particular onsen may feature several different baths, each with water with a different mineral composition. The outdoor bath tubs are most often made from Japanese cypress, marble or granite, while indoor tubs may be made with tile, acrylic or stainless steel.

Many bathers come for an hour or so to soak in the waters, even if they do not stay. Food also plays an important part in the attraction of a particular inn. <ref>Because most people tend to eat their evening meal around 6 pm, the baths are often empty at this time. This can be a good time to visit the baths in relative privacy.</ref> While other services like massages may be offered, the main reason most people visit the onsen is to enjoy the baths.

People often travel to onsen with work colleagues, as the relaxed and open atmosphere helps to break down some of the hierarchical stiffness inherent in Japanese work life. However, most visitors to onsen are not work groups but friends, couples and families. It is not unusual to see a father or mother introducing a small child to the onsen for the first time. Very small children of either sex up to about 10 years old can often be seen in both male and female baths. Mixed-sex bathing is a tradition that persists at onsen in the more rural areas of Japan, although these days there is usually a separate women-only time or bath in addition to the mixed bath.

[edit] Onsen etiquette

[edit] Ensuring Cleanliness

At an onsen, as at a sento, guests are expected to wash their bodies and rinse themselves thoroughly before entering the hot water. The indoor baths have faucets with removable shower heads and little stools to sit on, for showering and shampooing.

[edit] Swimsuits

Many traditional onsen out in the countryside have rules forbidding wearing swimsuits into the bath, saying that these make it harder to clean. Some modern onsen in larger towns though have more of a waterpark atmosphere, and actively encourage the use of swimsuits, especially in their co-ed baths.

[edit] Towels

Onsen guests generally bring a small towel with them to use as a washcloth. The towel can also provide a modicum of modesty when walking between the washing area and the baths. Some onsen allow one to wear the towel into the baths, while others have posted signs prohibiting this, again saying that it makes it harder to clean the bath. In this latter case, people normally set their towels off to the side of the water when enjoying the baths. However, some people place their folded towels on top of their heads.

[edit] Noise

Onsens are generally considered a respite from the hectic pace of life and consequently they are usually fairly quiet. However, sometimes bathers will engage in conversation in this relaxed situation.

[edit] Infections

Although millions of Japanese bathe in onsen every year with few noticeable side effects, there has been concern that the warm wet conditions lead to the transmission of infections.<ref>Given the popularity of Japanese hot spring bathing, it is not surprising that many of the reports of infection in the medical literature come from Japan.</ref> Some concerns include:

Athlete's foot fungal infection.
The naegleria fowler amoeba lives in warm waters and soils worldwide and can be a cause of meningitis.<ref>emedicine article on naegleria</ref><ref>Occurrence and Distribution of Naegleria Species in Thermal Waters in Japan, Shinji Izumiyama, Kenji Yagita, Reiko Furushima-Shimogawara, Tokiko Asakura, Tatsuya Karasudani, Takuro Endo, The Journal of Eukaryotic Microbiology Vol. 50 Issue s1 Page 514 July 2003</ref> Several deaths have been attributed to this amoeba, which enters the brain through the nasal passages.<ref>Primary amebic meningoencephalitis due to Naegleria fowleri: An autopsy case in Japan, Yasuo Sugita, Teruhiko Fujii, Itsurou Hayashi, Takachika Aoki, Toshirou Yokoyama, Minoru Morimatsu, Toshihide Fukuma & Yoshiaki Takamiya, Pathology International, Volume 49 Page 468 - May 1999</ref><ref>Southern New Mexico web site article</ref>

Acanthamoeba also can spread through hot springs, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.<ref>CDC description of acanthomoeba</ref>

Legionella bacteria have been spread through hot springs.<ref>Molecular determination of infection source of a sporadic Legionella pneumonia case associated with a hot spring bath, H. Miyamoto, S. Jitsurong, R. Shiota, K. Maruta, S. Yoshida, E. Yabuuchi, Microbiol Immunol., 41(3):197-202, 1997.</ref><ref>An outbreak of legionellosis in a new facility of hot spring Bath in Hiuga City, Eiko Yabauuchi, Kunio Agata, Kansenshogaku zasshi (Kansenshogaku zasshi), ISSN 0387-5911, vol. 78, no2, pp. 90-98, 2004.</ref>

There is some suggestion that a bather's toe was infected with herpes simplex virus from a hot spring in Japan.<ref>Indolent herpetic whitlow of the toe in an elderly patient with diabetic neuropathy, Maki Ozawa, Tomoyuki Ohtani, and Hachiro Tagami, Dermatology Online Journal 10 (1): 16, 2004.</ref>

There has been some concern that the temperature and mineral composition of natural hot spring water does not represent as much protection from infection as had been thought previously. There are viruses that have been collected from even very extreme environments in hot springs. For example, viruses were found in a hot spring in Pozzuoli, Italy, living in acidic water with a pH of 1.5, and temperatures of 87 to 93°C. These viruses were observed to infect cells in the laboratory.<ref>Viral Diversity in Hot Springs of Pozzuoli, Italy, and Characterization of a Unique Archaeal Virus, Acidianus Bottle-Shaped Virus, from a New Family, the Ampullaviridae, Monika Häring, Reinhard Rachel, Xu Peng, Roger A. Garrett, and David Prangishvili1, J. Virol., 79(15): 9904–9911, August 2005.</ref>

[edit] Recent controversy

In recent years, there has been some controversy over the banning of foreigners (or people who appear non-Japanese) from entering onsens. This issue came to recent attention when in 2000, Arudou Debito sued Yunohana onsen in Otaru, Hokkaido for refusing him and his friends entrance based on their race. The onsen lost the lawsuit in 2002. See the related discussion in the sento article.