After 3 years of secretly wearing a towel or swimsuit in an onsen and going only to private ones, I've finally graduated from those dress rehearsals to do onsen the Japanese way. The ski trip included an optional bus trip to Takaragawa onsen at Minakami, Gunma prefecture on Saturday. So even though my attempt to ski failed terribly, I learnt how to be au naturel with other people at an onsen. The first time I went to an onsen was also at Minakami when I came to Japan for a holiday 3 years ago. Gunma is the most famous prefecture for onsen in the Kanto region.At Takaragawa, there are many 露天風呂 (outdoor onsen) and most of them are mixed onsens. April and I didn't go even though we could wear a towel at the mixed ones here. I was glad that I didn't because as we walked past the mixed onsens (yes, there were clearly in view of the public), I saw a few men who strutted around without covering themselves! And we didn't want to bump into Michael who came too. It would be too weird. haha. I still couldn't help being unnerved when I slid open the door to the female 露天風呂 and saw many naked women. I never fail to get this reaction all the time. I quickly undressed, tried not to stare and hoped that nobody was looking at me. It was April's first time at an onsen and though she was nervous initially, I think she became more relaxed than me. We met the other women that were on the trip with us at the onsen too. So we moved over to talk. My first conversation with many females at a public onsen without wearing anything. I should be proud of myself because I swore that I would never do it! It was a nice feeling as we were surrounded by nature and snow, but not cold at all.
No comments:
Post a Comment