Onsen & Bath
How to use an onsen, public baths, the tattoo question and bathing etiquette.
63 entriesTap a title to open the full entry: three lengths of English explanation, the questions people actually ask, ready-made phrases and audio.
Essential（17）
- ClothingEssential yukata浴衣a light cotton kimono for summer
- Onsen & BathEssential furoお風呂the Japanese home bath
- Onsen & BathEssential kakeyuかけ湯rinsing yourself before entering the bath
- Onsen & BathEssential taoru o yubune ni irenaiタオルを湯船に入れないthe rule that towels never go into the shared bathwater
- Onsen & BathEssential onsen温泉a natural hot spring bath
- Onsen & BathEssential onsen to mizugi温泉と水着why bathing nude, not in a swimsuit, is the norm at most onsen
- Onsen & BathEssential ashiyu足湯foot baths
- Onsen & BathEssential kashikiri-buro貸切風呂a small bath a ryokan rents out to one group at a time
- Onsen & BathEssential otokoyu and onnayu男湯と女湯the separate men's and women's baths
- Onsen & BathEssential yuatari湯あたりfeeling dizzy or unwell from soaking in hot spring water too long
- Onsen & BathEssential yuagari湯上がりの一杯the drink after the bath
- Onsen & BathEssential yubune ni tsukaru湯船につかるsoaking in the tub rather than just showering
- Onsen & BathEssential higaeri onsen日帰り温泉a day-use hot spring with no overnight stay
- Onsen & BathEssential atsui furo o konomu bunka熱い風呂を好む文化the Japanese taste for baths hotter than most visitors expect
- Onsen & BathEssential io no nioi硫黄のにおいthe rotten-egg smell of sulfur hot springs
- Onsen & BathEssential rotenburo露天風呂open-air bath
- PlacesEssential Hakone箱根the hot spring area in the mountains west of Tokyo
Standard（37）
- Food & DrinkStandard onsen tamago温泉卵the egg cooked the other way around
- Onsen & BathStandard kerorin okeケロリン桶the yellow plastic bath bucket with an ad on it, found in public baths
- Onsen & BathStandard sauna to mizuburoサウナと水風呂sauna culture in Japan
- Onsen & BathStandard supa sentoスーパー銭湯large modern bathhouses
- Onsen & BathStandard ichiban-buro一番風呂being the very first person into freshly drawn bathwater
- Onsen & BathStandard onsen to tatu温泉とタトゥーwhy tattoos can get you refused at a bath
- Onsen & BathStandard onsen maku温泉マークthe three-steam symbol used on maps and signs for hot springs
- Onsen & BathStandard onsengai温泉街a hot spring town
- Onsen & BathStandard onsengai no shateki to takkyu温泉街の射的と卓球shooting galleries and table tennis at hot-spring resorts
- Onsen & BathStandard kazoku buro家族風呂a private bath you can book
- Onsen & BathStandard ganbanyoku岩盤浴lying on heated stone to sweat, a dry alternative to soaking in a bath
- Onsen & BathStandard kyodo yokujo共同浴場a small shared hot-spring bathhouse run for and by local residents
- Onsen & BathStandard gensen kakenagashi源泉かけ流しhot spring water used once and let overflow, with nothing recirculated
- Onsen & BathStandard Ibusuki no sunamushi onsen指宿の砂むし温泉a hot sand bath on a beach warmed by hot spring water
- Onsen & BathStandard sento銭湯the neighborhood public bath
- Onsen & BathStandard sento no penkie銭湯のペンキ絵the big painted mural, usually of Mount Fuji, on the wall of a public bathhouse
- Onsen & BathStandard utaseyu打たせ湯a hot water fall you sit under for a shoulder massage
- Onsen & BathStandard datsuijo脱衣所the changing room at a hot spring or public bath
- Onsen & BathStandard jigoku meguri地獄めぐりa tour of boiling hot spring pools known as hells
- Onsen & BathStandard nakai仲居the ryokan staff member who attends to your room and meals
- Onsen & BathStandard yu no hana湯の花hot-spring mineral flakes
- Onsen & BathStandard yumomi湯もみstirring hot spring water with long wooden boards to cool it down
- Onsen & BathStandard yuzame湯冷めcatching a chill after a hot bath, as your body cools down too fast
- Onsen & BathStandard uchiyu to sotoyu meguri内湯と外湯めぐりhopping between a hot spring town's public bathhouses in a yukata
- Onsen & BathStandard nyutozei入湯税a small local tax that bathers pay at hot spring facilities
- Onsen & BathStandard bandai番台the raised attendant's seat at the entrance of a public bath
- Onsen & BathStandard bijin no yu美人の湯a nickname for hot springs said to leave your skin smooth
- Onsen & BathStandard ryokan旅館a traditional Japanese inn
- PlacesStandard Gero Onsen下呂温泉a hot spring town in the mountains of Gifu, famous for its smooth alkaline water
- PlacesStandard Ginzan Onsen銀山温泉a hot spring town of old wooden inns in Yamagata
- PlacesStandard Kinosaki Onsen城崎温泉a hot spring town in northern Hyogo known for its seven public bathhouses
- PlacesStandard kusatsu onsen草津温泉the strongly acidic hot spring with the wooden cooling ritual
- PlacesStandard dogo onsen道後温泉one of Japan's oldest hot springs, and its wooden bathhouse
- PlacesStandard Atami熱海the hot spring town that collapsed and came back
- PlacesStandard Beppu and Yufuin別府と湯布院the biggest hot spring town in Japan and the quiet one next to it
- PlacesStandard beppu onsen別府温泉the town with the most hot spring water in Japan
- PlacesStandard Arima Onsen有馬温泉the old hot spring town in the hills behind Kobe
Advanced（9）
- Onsen & BathAdvanced insen飲泉drinking hot spring water
- Onsen & BathAdvanced karasu no gyozui烏の行水a bath so quick it's like a crow splashing in water
- Onsen & BathAdvanced konyoku混浴a mixed-sex bath, now rare
- Onsen & BathAdvanced senshitsu泉質types of hot spring water
- Onsen & BathAdvanced tansansen炭酸泉a hot spring with naturally dissolved carbon dioxide
- Onsen & BathAdvanced doroyu泥湯a hot spring bath with natural mud in the water
- Onsen & BathAdvanced toji湯治staying at a hot spring to recover
- Onsen & BathAdvanced hito秘湯a remote, hard-to-reach hot spring
- Onsen & BathAdvanced reikosen冷鉱泉a cold mineral spring that can still count as an onsen