The public bath is a great asset to any culture, providing time for members of each gender to gather together, get naked, get clean and quietly reflect (or gossip). Finland was my first taste of this excellent cultural habit, though Japan takes the concept to a whole new level.
Here's the drill. Take your sandals off at the entryway to the onsen area - bare feet only on the bamboo tatami mats. Strip down to your birthday suit and grab a modesty towel for the watered areas. Take a full scrub seated at one of the stools, careful to wash all the soap off. (Soap is a big no no in the communal soaking tubs.) Find a tub at the right temperature for you and slip in - try not to disturb the water too much.
I really liked all the outdoor tubs. It is very refreshing to sit alone outside in a hot soaking tub while the weather howls in from Siberia.
I reserved a private onsen one early morning so that Eben and I could have a "mixed bath." Located in a remote corner of the lodge, this was an awesome little retreat - tatami mats, a little Japanese style low table with seating cushions, a pair of Danish design western chairs and the outdoor tub on the deck. If there had been a WSJ and the NFL on the tele, I think Eben and I could have spent the whole day there. Apparently, bamboo does fine in sub-zero temperatures.
Below is the view of the skiing from the Ryounkaku spring onsen.
Although there is fabulous skiing in the backcountry around this onsen (check out the piles of snow out the window), everyone was soaking with a smile at this remote onsen-hostel.
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