My experience tonight confirmed that my favorite thing about Japan is still the public bath houses. I came home after the prison trip to be informed that we were going out to dinner and then going to a bath house together. I got pretty excited, since I hadn't gone to once since returning to Japan.
Well, I was in for quite a surprise! In the past ten years or so, the popularity has gone way up for these really fancy Suupaa Sentou bath houses. They are still tradition Japanese bath houses, in the sense that it is a communal bathing place with different temperature baths and a cold water bath. What makes the suupaa sentos different, however, is that they have an outdoors area as well, complete with a TV and natural water springs, a place where you can sit and have hot water fall down on the back of the stone wall you are leaning against, one where you can lie down on your back with hot water around you...then the insides have tubs with all sorts of jets in them...IT WAS AMAZING! We spent an hour there, and Shun-chan, who usually clings to Masayo, insisted on going with Satoshi and Kouji to the men's side---so it was just the two of us! It was awesome. Young people, kids, elderly and those in between, all walking around naked without a care. It's something you must do when you visit Japan!
As I lay out with the cool breezes on top of me and hot water on my back, looking up at the trees, I kept thinking what an awesome memory it was that I will be able to take back with me, so relaxed and content in that moment. Even now, as I type this, my body is still completely relaxed after having gotten home 30 min. ago....And what's the last thing on the entire planet that I want to do now? Study fora 9am exam tomorrow. That's right, folks, I have work to do! Goodnight!
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