Checking serialization of comments into the array.
Oh yeah, I'd go try it out. We have various natural hotsprings here from 1 to 3 hours away. They are in the mountains though, so its really a different experience than watching the cityscape. No massage facilities at the springs as far as I know, only hot and cold pool.
What a nice view Danny, and food seems delicious too ! I have to try it as soon as i go back to Japan. By the way, 2 Wristwatches??
Been wearing that watch for ages - custom built ^^;
I noticed that, too. Really interesting. Looks like 2 G-Shocks together? You'll have to explain one of these days, Danny
Wow, that view of Yokohama at night looks amazing while soaking yer feet! Have you been up the landmark tower yet? Its real purdy. I dont think i would ever go to an onsen - im well uncomfortable getting nekkid in front of other blokes - especially what with me hardly being built like brad pitt... Have you been to the onsen in Odaiba? Thats what i thought this was about as soon as i saw the ferris wheel photo! Did you bathe in your trooper gear? Gotta get all that tatooine sand and rebel scum brains out somehow...
Went landmark many years ago - nice view. As for onsen at odaiba - which one?
Not sure really - i just know there is one there. Look it up - its in all the tourist guides, so it must be well known. My mate was well keen on going, but me (and my manhood) shrivelled up in fear and we didnt go.
Oh, and im loving the new comment system - i can finally see if i get a personal reply to a post without sifting through the whole comments kaboodle!
Glad you like it - commenting on the same page functionality soon.
Commenting on the same page sounds nice! What do you think of having the option to write comments on pictures directly?
What I heard and knew of was that eating before bathing will make us fat. Fat otaku transformation do not want.
actually the real reason for the "stay out of water after you eat" rule is supposed to be that the body needs energy to digest the food. Food in the past had a tendency to be harder to digest and (at least in Europe) it wasn't uncommon to sleep after lunch. Because of this it shouldn't be as important anymore with the easy to digest food that we eat today (well that depends on what you eat) and I don't think the problem is serious when you are idle in warm water. Most of the energy used in water is to keep the body warm. As for being an Oriental thing only.. well I went "hey they say that in Asia too". I think it's a general rule applying to more or less everybody everywhere in the world.
@danny How serious are the japanese with the "no tattoos" ???? I'm a bit worried, i want to go to an onsen this year and i have a small tribal-tattoo on the shoulder. I was wondering if they are allowing gaijins with tattoos at the onsen? Thanks for replying jya
Very serious. Not sure the exact reasons but many Yakuza have tattoos.
Yea, an implicit way to keep the yakuza at bay.
surely they know that Yakuza don't recruit gaijins. (right?)
I don't know... I'm willing to bet that some of the more seedy foreigners have more than "just connections" with the Yakuza.
That upsets me as I just got Sasuke's curse mark from Naruto on my shoulder last month. I always wanted to go to one when I eventually go to Japan...so looks like I'm gonna have to try to find one that allows tattoos :[
I have several tattoo's, and stretched ears, two nose piercings.. I don't know if I'll be allowed to do anything if i make it to Japan. This really worries me actually, it's been a really big dream of mine to live there one day, but if I'm going to be looked down upon because of what I decide to do with my body, this really dampens my optimism. -.-;;
Tattooing was once a form of punishment in ancient China, where Confucianists insisted that tattoos are bad because they alter the form of one's body, which belongs to one's parents (hence the shame of being forcibly tattooed as punishment). This notion was perhaps imported into Japan long ago, and tattoos have been looked down upon ever since. Somewhat ironically, I've also read that some of the most ancient proto-Japanese peoples tattooed themselves extensively to be camouflaged underwater while diving for fish. The practice of tattooing among the original peoples that inhabited the Japanese archipelago is perhaps still reflected by Ainu tattooing -- though I don't suppose there's anybody left who does that anymore. Even more ironic is the popularity of Japanese-style tattooing the world over.
I think those of us with small tattoos might be able to get away with large plasters (or bandaids, if you're American) over the top. Hopefully it wouldn't look too suspicious. ^_^;; It seems unlikely that a gaijin would ever be suspected of being a yakuza member though.
they might think that you have some sort of wound which can contaminate the water with bacteria and reject you based on this. I wouldn't count on a more freely view of gaijin as some places also bans gaijin because of a history with problematic drunken Russian sailors. The best advice I can give would be to stay away from piercings, tattoos and stuff like that. It's not uncommon that people with (legally earned) money look down on this and since those are usually the people hiring workers for their companies it affects your job opportunities. This is true for most of the world.
I am SOOO there this Sunday Danny, needed somewhere close too home to go to wind down for the day and this looks like the perfect option.
Tis nice - I will be back there again soon.
this means i'm not being able to enter one of those many nice onsens??? Holy shit >.< what a crap... I think japanese should know that there are no gaijin-yakuzas... especially not swiss-gaijin-yakuzas :)
Not sure if they all have the same rule though - you may as well try but maybe not Manyo.
You might be able to get by with the old "I'm a dumb gaijin and I don't know better" trick. They may be too embarrassed to stop you.
Would love to go to an onsen if I have the chance ^^.
ahh..nice that you foot bath with your waifu... and rgding the "bath before you eat" thing..someone told me b4 that when you bath after you eat, your stomach will channel all its energy away from your stomach to some other places..forgot where. and this will cause "vitamins lost". lastly..my lolifox isn't showing this page right either..T_T...i hope i didnt stress you~~
I personally viewed it as "a (delicious) risk of passing out under the shower, especially in the case of a warm shower/bath". So my interpretation of this was not that far-fetched after all. ^^
We don't have hot spirngs here so I would definitely give this a go if I ever have the chance~
I do like this idea! You don't need to go to the mountains to appreciate it (even if I guess it's not the same feeling) and it has a traditional yet a little futuristic look (barcode laser, neons). I would only dislike the fact to be naked in front of others. I also guess it's not very recommended to take a bath outdoors when it rains... So is there any alternative when this happens? Otherwise than that, it is amusing you're mentioning the "do not take a bath after you eat" thing, Danny. My mother not only told me of that, but also the "do not jump around just after eating" one. Yeah, a trip to the onsen would definitely be worth of a stop if I were to visit Japan one day.
been to quite a few onsens during my visit. but they were packed with oyajis and shoutas so nothing spectacular to report. The Gero hot springs are particularly enjoyable. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gero%2C_Gifu
Manyo Club Onegaishimasu! Oh wait, do you pronounce "club" as kurubu or just club?
I would guess that both ways would work because nearly everyone knows some English. But I would say kuraabu instead of club so they wouldn't need to think twice about it.
That place looks like it would be pretty fun. Like the wrist key scanner thing. I know what you mean about camera batteries running out on you when you want to snap something. It's why I ended up buying a couple spare batteries for my cameras.
I'm def gonna check this out next year. I can't wait to try out an onsen. Nice photos by the way, I love the roof. Looks beautiful.
Maybe I would visit that place if I go to Japan someday.. The place have a good view of the nice sceneries.. Would love to take some snapshots if I go there.. ^^
My grandma used to and my mum still tells me not to shower straight after having dinner. I've heard or read somewhere that it's basically that your body is busy digesting the food internally you should do anything else that requires increase of blood flow to other parts of the body straight after a big meal. Most people with weak or heart condition will either faint when they have a shower or bath after dinner. I've been to an onsen when I went to Kyushu before. It was pretty good. I love foot and hand massages but not a big fan of the body massage unless it's from someone I know really closely.
Visiting an Onsen is one of the things I definitely want to try when I go to Japan in the future, but I think I'd prefer the traditional ones :D
Onsen trip is definitely in my go list if I ever visit Japan ^^ I need to dip myself in hot spring atleast once >_<
danny, you said that you didnt fancy taking pics of naked men in the bath so does that mean that they will let you take the camera into the bath to take pics?
Well theres nobody stopping you...
i sense impending danger...
And if there is no one to stop you, it is absolutely not against the rules ^_^ Unless they posted it as a rule somewhere... then it would be against the rules and people who wanted to take pictures in the bath would need the little spy cameras.... Hmm that sounded much more coherent in my head... sorry it did not come out that way through my fingers ^_^;;
Going to an Onsen during winter feels like heaven, even better if it's an open-air onsen with snow falling around you (loved this experience when was at Noboribetsu, Hokkaido). But I wonder how it'll feel like going during summer lol. Overheating and fainting at a much faster rate I guess.
Better go in the morning or during the evening indeed.
my first and only onsen trip that i currently have is the onsen in Noboribetsu in hokkaido.. it's was in last dec and it's still snowing heavily but feeling the heat makes be feel real comfortable.. and the onsen i went is something called dai-ichi jakimotokan=.= it's a hotel anyway..
Onsen is nice. I will sure to go there when I visit Japan. Nice custom watches :). Do they show japan time and gmt ? Btw Danny, do you test your website on ie6 ? I just recently started using css to design a website and ie6 is a pain to deal with -_-
Nice!!! I would love to go to a hot spring!!! It looks like fun!!! I might go there when I go to Japan!!!
