Day 1: Arriving in Japan and our First Public Bathhouse

Our first international flight was better than we expected.  Beer and wine were complimentary and all announcements were made in English, Japanese, and Chinese.  Going through Narita Airport's check-in processes was quick and painless.  The only long line we encountered was for exchanging our voucher for the Japan Rail (JR) 14-day pass which is available only to foreign tourists.  We purchased the voucher before coming to Japan as is required.  The travel service center also reserved seats for us on the Narita Express--a shinkansen (bullet train) that takes people into Tokyo and back.

At Tokyo Station we transferred to another bullet train for our approximately three hour ride to Kyoto.  Tokyo Station on a Friday evening around 6 o'clock was madness!  We are certain that we were in the way while asking for directions on how to get to our next train.  Something we noticed almost immediately was that everyone here walks to the left and passes on the right (just like driving I suppose), but it's the opposite of what we were used to in the U.S.

At Kyoto Station we used the map provided by our ryokan (traditional style accommodations) Nagomi Yuu to make our way there.

We picked up some food at the 7Eleven on the way.  Our first Japanese meal was a fast-food one due to the excessive feeding they do on the plane ride.  It still beats our fast food, though!

Finding our ryokan was very straightforward from the directions provided, but our room was tiny--the tiniest place we stayed in during our entire trip, but it did have an attached private bathroom as well as free wireless.  To give you an idea of the size, if you lay out the two futons (traditional style bedding) side by side you've taken up almost the entire room save maybe two feet at the foot of the bedding.

The ryokan was located just down the street from a public bath house which had the word "Yu" written on the banner on the outside.  It looked like it closed in about an hour and a half at midnight so after checking in, we headed there.  Oh boy, I greeted the man attending the counter in Japanese and asked for towels after paying.  He responded in Japanese indicating that it was an extra charge but that we would get it back once we returned the towels.  It took me a while to understand that part!

The hubby and I went into our separate areas for men and women.  Keep in mind that although we had read about bathing etiquette, this was our first time.  It helped probably that there were so many people already in there to watch.  First, you strip down to your birthday suit in the locker room area and put all of your clothes and valuables in a basket (if provided) and put that in a locker.  Take the locker key and a modesty towel (washcloth if needed) in with you.  The heat hits you as you open the door to the baths.  The indoor bathing area had about five different baths and several washing stations.  Grab a stool and bucket and set it down at your washing station if they aren't already there.  Usually some soap and shampoo is provided in pump bottles between every station.  I tried to read the kana on each bottle to make sure I was using the right one for its function!  I think one said Shampoo and the other one said Rinse...  Anyhow, the point is to scrub down and get really clean prior to entering any of the baths.  It was pretty strange having never seen so many nibbles and bits up close of other women.  Some of the women carry their towel to and from each bath to cover themselves and then set the towel on their head.  Others just walked around completely nude while changing baths.

Some women rinsed off between each bath at the washing stations and others just took a bucket and splashed the next bath's water on them prior to entering.  One bath was super hot with bubble jets and another one had what looked like mineral additives because the water was green.  My favorite one was the outdoor one.  It was set into the ground with rocks lining it and had slightly milky looking water.  Being outside in the cold night air (it was probably in the 50's F) and submerging most of yourself in the hot water was fantastic.  Note that almost all baths were only high enough to cover your shoulders if you sit down.  I think only the jetted tub was a stand-up tub.

I had previously kept my hair up in a bun but once I noticed that the locker room had hair drying stations, I went back to the washing station and washed my hair.  The public bath houses really have everything you need minus personal things like razors and toothbrushes to take a bath.  They also have weighing scales.  Hmph.  For an entry fee of about 560 JPY (think a little less than $7), it was worth it!  I could do this every week.

The husband and I amazingly got out within about five minutes of each other and exchanged stories on our way back to the ryokan.  He had tried the sauna on the men's side (I didn't try the one for women) and suggested that you take one of their provided mats in.  He didn't and tried to sit on the wood directly... ouch.  He also suggested that the towel and locker room key can go into your bucket and be set outside of your bathtub.

We were so glad to have tried it on our first night in Kyoto.  It was the perfect relaxation after a long day on a plane ride and then a train.

A picture we took the next morning outside of the public bath house.