Spring has well and truly come and Japan is swimming in a cascade of colours from the Yaezakura late blooming cherry trees (fluffy, dense blooms) to bright pink, red, and white azaleas (
tsutsuji), from the lilac and lavender wisteria (
fuji) to hedgerows of Lady Bank's yellow roses (
mokkō-bara). Breathtaking!
Regardless of the season, regular readers may know that one of BritishProf's favourite things about Japan is the bathing culture. Recently, I had the chance to visit Arima Hot Springs (
=onsen) in Hyogo Prefecture which has the unique distinction of being BOTH one of Japan's three oldest baths (日本三古湯), together with
Dōgo Onsen in Ehime and Nanki-Shirahama Onsen in Wakayama, AND one of Japan's three great hot springs (日本三名泉), alongside Kusatsu Onsen in Gunma and Gero Onsen in Gifu. This means that Arima Onsen is the only hot spring in Japan famous for both its high-quality medicinal properties, specifically its distinct mineral-rich "red/gold" (salt and iron-rich) and "silver" (carbonic/radium) waters, and its history, spanning over 1300 years and mentioned in the 8th century Nihon Shoki (Chronicles of Japan). As an onsen fan I can't believe it's taken me almost 30 years to visit!
Though located in the mountains and boasting a very local, small-town atmosphere, Arima is easily accessible from Kobe (Shinkansen) Station or Sannomiya via a short 30-minute highway bus ride. After a dip in the onsen, it's lovely to don your yukata cotton kimono and stroll around the winding, narrow streets, packed with lots of beautiful buildings including a foot bath to soak your feet in (pictured) and stores selling the famous local treats, namely manju (饅頭), a traditional Japanese steamed bun with red bean paste filling, and
senbei, a sweet, crispy cracker. Both boast a tansan variety which are made using the local carbonated spring water - highly recommended to nibble as you explore the town! My favourite area was probably the temple neighbourhood (寺田町界隈), a quiet area situated on a hill to the north of the historic resort. Dotted with
yusen shrines (shrines dedicated to hot springs), temples, and retro-style
ryokan inns, I enjoyed the charming atmosphere, rather different from the bustle of the main hot spring district. Tosen Shrine (湯泉神社), at the top of a long flight of stairs overlooking the town, was particularly impressive - it came as no surprise to discover that it is famous as a spiritual power spot (video
here). An interesting feature of the neighbourhood was the placing of Oni-gawara (
鬼瓦) roof tiles bearing the face of a demon or gargoyle on street corners, acting as amulets to keep away evil spirits.
One final point of etiquette about public hot springs in Japan: it's taboo to wear any kind of clothing in the bath, including swimming costumes. This is of course traditional, but also for hygiene purposes: clothing can introduce fabric-borne dirt and bacteria (and
onsen, unlike swimming pools, are never chlorinated). This can be particularly hard for British people. Compared to the Japanese - and even Northern Europeans - Brits tend to be "
spectacularly bad at being naked": one
survey found that
59% of British people - women significantly more than men - were either out-and-out uncomfortable naked, preferred not to say, or were unsure. Perhaps these fears are compounded by the uncertainty over whether public bathing is properly segregated. Before going to Arima, I reassured my British friends that traditional, mixed bathing (konyoku) is very rare today, thanks to shocked Western visitors and diplomats from the Meiji era who found the practice uncivilized, lewd, and un-Christian. Today, aside from a few "traditional" rural onsen, all public hot springs are strictly segregated. Imagine my surprise then, on entering the onsen at our Japanese inn in Arima (here) and discovering that there was only a low wall separating the men and women's baths, making it necessary to crouch down when leaving and entering to avoid being seen! Thoughts? Let us know in the COMMENTS!
