Onsen & Bath
How to use an onsen, public baths, the tattoo question and bathing etiquette.
45 entriesTap a title to open the full entry: three lengths of English explanation, the questions people actually ask, ready-made phrases and audio.
Essential（16）
- 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 onsen温泉a natural hot spring bath
- Onsen & BathEssential swimsuits and onsen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 atsuburo熱い風呂を好む文化the Japanese taste for baths hotter than most visitors expect
- Onsen & BathEssential sulfur smell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（25）
- Food & DrinkStandard onsen tamago温泉卵the egg cooked the other way round
- Onsen & BathStandard sauna and cold plungeサウナと水風呂sauna culture in Japan
- Onsen & BathStandard super 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 tattoos and onsen温泉とタトゥーwhy tattoos can get you refused at a bath
- Onsen & BathStandard the onsen mark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 shooting galleries and ping-pong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 gensen kakenagashi源泉かけ流しhot spring water used once and let overflow, with nothing recirculated
- Onsen & BathStandard Ibusuki sand bath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 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 yuzame湯冷めcatching a chill after a hot bath, as your body cools down too fast
- Onsen & BathStandard soto-yu-meguri内湯と外湯めぐりhopping between a hot spring town's public bathhouses in a yukata
- Onsen & BathStandard ryokan旅館a traditional Japanese inn
- 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