Tokyo, part 2...the onsen experience

Naturally we went to the left to the human onsen, and I never could've anticipated what awaited me when we walked through the doors to the onsen.  My host instructed me to remove my shoes which is a common practice in Japanese homes as well as certain public spaces depending on the purpose of that space.  We then put our shoes in a locker and were given a key with a barcode and a wristband to use for the rest of our stay/incredible experience.  The barcode was used to order food later or various other services such as a foot massage.  We decided we'd do the onsen first followed by dinner later.  First you have to change into an outfit called a Yukara if I'm not mistaken at the spelling of the word.  Afterwards, you journey on to the shared foot onsen between both genders.  There are rocks about every step you take but they are separated into nice little rows so they are easy to avoid if you wish.  After spending some time spoiling our feet, we walked on to the next part, but not after first having watched a special room where apparently little fish attach themselves to your feet and remove dead skin from your feet.  Sounds gross of course to out American ears, but have you ever seen a Japanese person's skin??  Perhaps this is something we should import although I think they're only used on the feet and not the face so maybe it wouldn't be as popular as an entrepreneur might hope.

We entered into the men's locker room, thankfully the actual onsen is separated into men's and women's baths so there is no embarrassment on either side, or any hanky panky although that would be quickly disallowed in Japanese culture and wouldn't even happen in the first place between two Japanese people but rather with a tourist couple undoubtedly.  Anyways, you take off your Yukara and shower off before entering the public bath.  You're given two towels upon entering the locker room, one to dry off with when you're finished and one to bathe with.  I mentioned to my girlfriend that it must've been years since I'd taken a bath of any sort, much less one with a bunch of naked Japanese men.  When in Rome, or Tokyo for that matter, you adapt to the culture, and I'm very glad I did.  When I showered off I was unable to locate a razor but there was shaving cream.  I mistakenly used a foot scrubber that didn't prove to be an effective razor until the guy in the stall next to me showed me what it was.  Having been only slightly embarrassed, it takes quite a bit for me to get truly red in the face, I politely asked him where the razors were located and he pointed me to the entrance to the onsen that I had walked past earlier, completely oblivious to the big basket of one-time use razors.  Understandably I'd argue as I was slightly distracted by being naked and going into a giant public bath where there were dozens of other naked men.  Having regained my composure, I shaved and rinsed off and then it was time to enter the baths.  These baths were produced by hotsprings in many places my host informed me, but I doubt it was here as the island was atop a landfill.  Who knows though, stranger things have happened, right?

The majority of people would walk around with their towels covering their private area, but there were a minority who refused to follow standard protocol for some reason and it reminded me of the old European men on Siesta Key beach who wear speedos, much to everyone else's chagrin.  Having gotten past the shock and awe of such seemingly shamelessness that didn't fit the paradigm of Japanese politeness and shyness that I had come to expect, I entered the hot bath water and was completely refreshed and invigorated in a matter of only a few minutes.  My host and I then went to the outside bath which was just as refreshing only in the outside one you sat on large rocks as opposed to the tile benches in the indoor ones.  Having spent around 10 minutes soaking up the all-encompassing water, much as a blanket seems to wrap itself around a baby, we spotted a rule-breaker.  There were relatively few rules to enter the baths, one of which my dad would've stamped his approval on being that no one with tattoos was allowed to enter.  The first and in my opinion the most important rule was that there was no photography allowed.  Unfortunately, this rule was unsuccessful in preventing some older Japanese man from video recording a panoramic shot of the outside bath.  My host and I agreed that this was ill-mannered and highly surprising coming from a Japanese man as opposed to some stupid tourist who could've claimed ignorance if questioned later about it.  Apparently he got away with it though, so if you see my half-naked body above the water in a public bath with a bunch of other naked dudes in a Japanese onsen I apologize in advance and request that you inform me of the website immediately so I can take hopefully some action and have the sight removed from the public domain, thanks.  I especially want to take the time to apologize to my girlfriend, sorry honey, not really a lot I could do outside of tackling a 60 year old Japanese man and making a terrible scene and undoubtedly being kicked out of the onsen.  This was a risk I simply was not willing to take, I hope you understand as I'm sure you will.

Once we had fully appreciated and enjoyed the envelopment of the warm springs, my host and I toweled off and went on back to the main area which featured many restaurants with countless types of food to feast on. And feast we did.  I ordered fried octopus as well as a couple different rolls of sushi, two times of sushi in one day is not to be frowned upon when you're visiting Japan for a few short days.  My host had asked me before I ordered if I was hungry and I assured him I was, which I gladly appreciated shortly thereafter.  He ordered many different types of Japanese traditional food, almost all of which gave my taste buds something to shout in unanimous approval of.

Having spent an unforgettable day exploring as much of Tokyo as humanly possible in about a 9-10 hour period, we headed back to his flat to enjoy a well-deserved sleep that might be considered by some to be closer to a short, drug-induced coma in my case at least.  We traveled through the tunnel again and got a spectacular view of the green lights at the top of the bridge upon exiting, lighting the way to one man's treasure built atop many others' trash.

Suffice it to say, my words have done a mere sketch of what was a true masterpiece of an experience.  I hope you have enjoyed reading my poor attempt to capture what was a glorious trip to Tokyo and I hope you are able to see it someday yourself, as it must be experienced in person to truly appreciate all that I have spoken of.  By the way, I can't recommend highly enough the couchsurfing website that I have been a member of for around 6 years now.  You may just have an experience like I had and will be overwhelmed by people's hospitality all around the world.  You will undoubtedly be inspired to provide a more welcoming experience for travelers and friends alike when they enter your home as you attempt, in whatever minuscule way you are able, to pay it forward upon your return to your humble abode.