The volcanic islands of Japan are a paradise of natural hot springs, called onsen. Almost all traditional inns have indoor baths, and some have beautiful outside hot spring baths where you can relax and enjoy the tranquility of nature.

Let these tips be your guide when you visit a Japanese onsen:

1. Make sure you have a bath towel, and a small towel to use for washing. These are either in your room, at the front desk of an onsen, or sometimes they are provided in the changing room. The receptionist or front desk clerk will let you know where to find them.
2. In the changing room, remove all your clothes and place them in a basket or locker. Or you can change into your yukata robe in your room and then head to the bath, like the woman in the illustration above.
3. Take only the small towel with you into the bath area.
4. Rinse a stool, and sit down in front of the shower. Use soap and the small towel to scrub yourself thoroughly. Shampoo and rinse your hair. Then rinse off. Rinse the towel well, too. Be careful not to spray or splash people near you. If you have long hair, tie it up so that it will not touch the bathwater when you get in the tub. If you don’t want to wash your hair, there are usually disposable shower caps available in the changing room.
5. Use the scooper that is near the bath to rinse yourself with the hot bath water, then get in. Do not let the small towel touch the bathwater. You can fold it and put it on your head, for easy storage and to help prevent dizziness. See the illustration below.
6. Do not add cold water to the bath.
7. When it’s time to get out, rinse the bathwater off, or not. Leaving the minerals from the water on your body is considered healthy.
8. Use the small towel to get rid of as much water from your body as you can before stepping into the changing room in order to keep the floor from getting wet.
9. Use the bath towel to dry off, put on your yukata (left side over right), and put your towels in the laundry basket, or else take them back to your room and hang them up. Be sure not to put damp towels on tatami mats.
10. If you have tattoos, you are generally not allowed to enter onsen baths in Japan because of their historical link with criminality. If they are small enough, though, you can cover them with sports taping or tattoo covers.

These may seem like a lot of rules, but following them will ensure a pleasant visit to an onsen, and make the proprietors happy for you to return.

The post 10 Tips for a Delightful Japanese Onsen Experience first appeared on More Than Tokyo and is written by Diane Tincher.

Consideration For Others is the Key

Things Not to Do in Japan

1. Pour your own drink.

If you are eating alone, it’s fine. But if you are with other people, pouring your own drink can make you look like a drunkard.

Etiquette requires that we pour each other’s drinks.

2. Pass food from one to another using chopsticks or stick your chopsticks into rice.

At Japanese cremations, after the body is burned, the loved one’s bones are passed using chopsticks, one by one, from one family member to the other until they reach the urn, into which they are delicately placed.

You can see why passing food with chopsticks in the same manner would be frowned upon.

If you want to share food, use your chopsticks to move the food from one plate to the other first.

Sticking them upright into your rice also resembles a funeral ritual. Put your chopsticks on the chopstick rest when taking a break from eating.

3. Leave a tip.

Workers in Japan are generally paid a living wage, and tipping is not part of the culture. If you leave a tip, the waiter will probably run after you to return your “forgotten money.”

4. Pour soy sauce on your rice.

Years ago, a friend did just that. When the waitress saw it, she thought my friend had had an accident. “I’ll bring you another bowl of rice,” she said as she hurriedly whisked his soy sauce covered rice away.

Japanese rice is delicious as is, and it should be savored with the side dishes served. Rice and miso soup go together like bread and butter — but generally not mixed.

5. Wear shoes in the house.

In fact, be prepared to slip off your shoes when entering temples and shrines, traditional inns, and when being seated on tatami mats at restaurants.

Shoe etiquette is such a big topic, it deserves its own post. You can read it here.

6. Talk loudly in public.

In fact, don’t talk on your phone at all when riding on buses or trains. Texting is not a problem — everybody does it.

The Japanese are accustomed to speak almost in whispers, and despise us foreigners on account of our loud talking.

Jorge Alvarez, PORTUGUESE SEA CAPTAIN who visited Japan in 1546

7. Blow your nose in public.

It’s gross and it grates against the sensibilities of polite society. Find a private spot, bathroom stall, or someplace no one will see and hear you. It’s best to not sneeze loudly, too.

8. Step into the bath without first washing yourself to pristine cleanliness.

Bathwater is shared. It behooves us to keep it as clean as possible for those bathing after us. And don’t add cold water to it, no matter how hot you think it is. 

Click this link to read more about how to navigate Japanese onsens.

9. Point.

The way to point is to discreetly gesture with your hand. You will see Japanese people, when referring to themselves, point at their noses. That’s okay. But using your finger to point at other people or places is a no-no.

10. Cut in line.

I don’t know anywhere in the world where it is acceptable to cut in line, but Japanese take the art of queuing to new heights, lining up in an orderly fashion. This is definitely the way to do it. 

To Sum It Up

A good rule of thumb is to be considerate of others by leaving things cleaner than you found them — be it your seat on a train, the wash area in a public bath, or even a park bench.

And one more thing! There are few public trash cans, so always be prepared to carry your trash with you back to your hotel.

The post 10 Surprising—or Not—Things Not To Do in Japan first appeared on More Than Tokyo and is written by Diane Tincher.

Why are there so many slippers?

The Japanese have a highly refined aesthetic regarding shoes and cleanliness. Signs at the entrances to temples, shrines, traditional inns, and many restaurants indicate that shoes should be removed before entering. There is generally a step up in the genkan entrance area where this should be done. 

The concept is simple. 

The lower level is dirty, “outside.”

The upper step is clean, “inside.”

The dirty outside should never be trod upon with socks. The raised inside should never be touched by a shoe, not even to rest your boot on while tying your laces. There is a clear line of division—the step up. 

There are generally three areas that require shoe changes.

Entering an inn, traditional restaurant, or hot springs

In the genkan, step out of your shoes and directly onto the raised inside area. Then turn your shoes with the toes pointing outside, neatly side by side, or if there is a shoe shelf, place them tidily on the shelf. 

Usually, you will be given slippers to wear inside a building. 

Often there are outside slippers in the genkan to use for short trips outside when you don’t want to bother putting on your shoes.

Tatami rooms

Tatami mats are made of woven reeds and are delicate. One does not walk upon them with shoes, nor should one pull a suitcase along them. When entering a tatami room, slip out of your slippers and step onto the tatami, leaving your slippers with toes pointing outwards, neatly lined up in the hall or room entranceway.

Restrooms

A restroom floor is considered dirty, and thus there are designated toilet slippers. When going into the restroom, step out of your inside slippers and into the toilet slippers. You will see a clear line of division, either a step, a doorway, or a division marked on the floor.

When you’re done, leave the toilet slippers with toes pointing away from the entry area, neatly side by side and ready for the next person to use.

Don’t forget to put your inside slippers back on.

Shoe etiquette in Japan made simple

When there is a step up from an entranceway or hall, you probably need to change your footwear.

Finally

Leave things as you found them, or tidier. Being aware of the customs of the land will help you to have a pleasant visit and to avoid jarring the sensibilities of the Japanese. 

To read the dos and don’ts for visiting onsens, or hot springs, click this link.

The post Essential Shoe Etiquette in Japan—3 Important Times to Change Your Shoes first appeared on More Than Tokyo and is written by Diane Tincher.