7pm in Tokyo - Ofuro

yes we do use the tub with siblings... when we were 5-8 years old. ^^;

Bathing together is natural for all the countries with hot springs that I know of. Maybe the idea behind it is that the town used to have just one hot spring pond and then everybody needed to use that one.

I only know of sharing the bath water in a bath tub from Japan though. It doesn't sound that tempting for me to reuse the water. Some rashes and so on can spread though water.

A bath with Miki?

i like the idea of using shower water for the washing machine. i heard about a device that transfers the water from the washing machine to the flsuh tank too... these are simple ideas that save a lot of water.

and about using the same water for the whole family, that's kinda creepy... i heard that in Japan in a public bath (せんとう) you need to wash yourself before going into the big tub. isn't it the same with home tubs?

Wow, I didn't know that about the bath tubs there! +1 Brownie point, I learned something on my holiday break!

If they use the same water for the whole family then I guess it's ok since they take a shower first before they go in the tub, right?

I just love the fact that Japan is very eco-friendly x_x

Exactly how many days is the water kept? ^^; Cos it realy doesn't sound hygienic..

no bath tubs here. we dont have so much water to waste. we use just a 10 litre bucket to bathe.
i mean take water from the bucket in a small plastic jug and pour it over the body and then soap and rinse and then dry. i'm a guessing a bath tub to be filled to half requires atleast 30-40 litres (7 - 10 gallons) of water.
also i use the water from the washing machine rinse cycle to clean the floors or transfer it to flush tank.

It's definitely nice to see that level of conservation of resources.

At the same time though it doesn't sound very appealing to reuse water someone else bathed in. It's not very hygienic like others have said since the bacteria on your body are now in the water for someone else to immerse themselves in. Even if the water is heated some bacteria thrive in warmer temperatures so you're not effectively killing all of them. Leaving the water overnight stagnant just provides a breeding ground for that bacteria. Chances of infection increase.

But as it reads some units actually filter and constantly reheat the water so it's definitely better.

It sounds just like a hot tub. However I always take a quick shower after going in one if I'm in it with somebody else, especially in public units.

I don't have a tub, I shower for 15 to 20 minutes (depends if I shave or not).

Why is the bath water pink?O__O

Me and my siblings would share a bath when we were very young.

"most ecological." - enough said =D

But one of the things I will enjoy in japan are those big open gender mixed ofuros =D

I also like japanese baths, like the whole room is like a western shower and you can use the full room - you know, kinda cool =)

used to bathe with siblings. Now Bathe with hot wife.

Question. Would/does anyone take a shower/bath with their loved one? A girlfriend, boyfriend, husband, or wife?

When we are still little yes...
But as we grew older no...
XD

so is there a reason why the water looks red and oily

We usually go to Sauna together with family/friends.
Well, Sauna is not Ofuro but both have high temperature.

Sounds a bit dirty to me.

So, uh...
there is a filter you have to change which contains everything from the dirty bath water? :x

>Do folks traditionally get into the bath tub together in your region
When I was little we didn't have a water pump or water heater so we used to reuse bathwater. But as we got a water pump (we have our own well) we are not so conservative with water anymore.

The tub is not used for cleaning one's self but for relaxing in nice hot water. You soap and rinse before you get in the tub. Europe and Asia seems to be very popular with taking baths while in America almost nobody does. I know a lot of new houses just put in large showers with multiple shower heads instead of bath tubs!

Dude me and my sister used to bathe together all the time, my family even bought a water heater to put on our tub so members could reuse the water. But that was a long time ago. Nowadays, the water is reused by washing the dogs afterward.

Never knew about using the same water thing... Doesn't sound very hygenic even if you do clean yourself first.

I remember being bathed with my sis or my cousin before, does that count? It was funny when I cried that I don't have a dolphin tho ^^;;;;; LOL
ahem anyways I can't soak in hot baths, I'll pass out after :P

i knew that they didn't change the water between family members... but day to day?? how many days is the water typically recycled? or have i missed danny sarcasm? ^^;;

I don't even have a tub back home. I think it was removed since we don't really use it much. I guess we preferred quick showers instead of time consuming ones. ^^;;

Used public bath with my family when I was little but not anymore ^^;

i duno... looks like a perfect place to contract diseases and viruses.

I share with the misses every now and then for the romantic atmosphere it provides ^^

Well, when I was staying with friends in Japan, this is what we would do. I pretty much never took a shower because I loved it so much. It's just so relaxing and refreshing. If I ever go back to Japan, I'm totally just gonna take baths, no showers. :D
Anyways, in America, no one really takes baths that much. Everyone in my household takes showers because it saves water/gas/electricity/time/etc.

If your sharing a bathtub in America it's because your either under 5 years old or over 18.

Bathing with sibling(s) is quite common.
The only additives I know are bubbles~
But nowadays I don't bathe because the tubs are way too small, not to mention japanese tubs *sigh*
(yay, first post after lurking for 1 year)

I used to bathe with my best friend all the time. Till we were like 13 or 14 and her dad stopped letting us cause he thought it was weird. >_>
Two girls in a bath tub, oh noes!

But, seriously, the Japanese are so inventive! Sucking up the water and using it to wash clothes. In America I'm sure people would think that's 'unsanitary'. Probably why we're running out of water, cause we waste too friggin' much.

I don't know about antibacterial additives but I heard that containing water with soap is a big no-no in Japan. The other thing, baths in Japan are not for washing, they are for soaking and relaxing your body after hard day's work ^^.

Danny, when are you going to do an onsen review?

You only really bathe with other people when you're a kid here, and then usually with other kid in you're family.

These are the kind of custum/cultural things I wish Danny would post more of.

"You can just about make out a metal circle thingy in the tub - that heats up the water again on the next day. We only use our tub water once though.
"
this bit doesn't make sense, if you aren't using it again why is it heated up the next day?

I look at the one at my apato and wonder how a whole family fits there.... I mean, you might get one person submerged in there.

too bad the culture has turn us this way...bathing individually

my japanese teacher told me of his ofuro experiences. Old skin floating around in the water =/

The way a Japanese bath works is this. First you shower yourself, sitting down -- at this stage soap is optional. Then you go in the tub to warm up, or you soap yourself. Then you wash/rinse yourself outside the tub. Finally you go in the tub for a good hot soak. So the tub water doesn't get dirty or soapy because you never go in it with soap on your body.

The Japanese wash themselves sitting down on small stools. It is considered rude to shower or wash standing up. To wash your behind properly, you squat on your heels.

The water heater in a modern Japanese house recycles the hot water in the tub and reheats it to maintain the set temperature. In my mother-in-law's house (in Japan,) the tap water is set to 39 centigrade and the bath to 43. We empty the bath every day and refill with fresh water. There are five people staying here at the moment and we all use the same water.

The order of entering the bath is based on social precedence. As I am the oldest man and a guest, I go first. I share the bath with my daughter who is 9 years old so she is not allowed to bath by herself. Next is either my brother-in-law or mother-in-law, then finally, my wife. (Ha, ha!) In the olden days she would get the coldest water but modern technology means nowadays she just gets a later bath.

Bathing at an onsen -- a volcanic hot spa -- is very similar, except the rooms and baths are very large and there is room for 10 people or more at a time. There are usually two or three pools at different temperatures and the proper volcanic onsen will often have a smell of sulphur gas.

If you are not shy, bathing at an onsen is a brilliant experience. I highly recommend all visitors to Japan to try it. There are separate baths for men and women. It is like visiting a self-service spa. You can spend as long as you like and get super-clean and relaxed. If you are staying in an onsen hotel, you can go in the morning and in the evening.

It is possible to hire private "rotenburo" where mixed bathing is allowed. These are like small onsen or large family baths.

Japan also has public bathhouses. I have never been to one and I would like to try it.

Used to bathe with my brother when we were little kids...I don't recall ever bathing with either of my parents. The idea of getting into used bath water despite rinsing is still gross.

However, I do admit I hardly ever shower. I'm a bath person. I wake up, and I get in the tub. It helps me wake up and soothes a stiff back (I sleep in weird positions).

We bathe one person per bathroom in our family. Maybe getting old give you creeps automatically whenever washing body together is conversed or planned. XD

Used to bath with my sister when I was 6 - 8.
And oh yea, I'm a boy...>_<

Yap, i remember the time where my brother and i used to fill the tub with little water and take turns splashing and rolling in it like how they kill fresh pigs with hot water at those (forgot name) places-it's one of those places where you buy a live pig and they kill it for you and you do the rest, slicing its guts,spleen, and pen....sorry for the rambling.

We don't even take baths anymore. Now we just shower. It could actually waste more water that way though.

Haven't done something like that since I was like 4 years old...

yea i haven't taken a BATH since i was a child, showers are the norm here. though it would be nice to have a bath with all this cold weather..

We do have a bath but we don't fill it up. We use the shower. I remember when I was young my mama was bathing me in a big deep green basin. She had the habit of polishing my bones till they sparkle! THE PAIN!!
I remember that long ago I wanted to just try that basin. No dice! I almost got stick in it! Hahaha!!

P.S. Everytime I step in the bath I think of the worst possible scenario - me slipping and breaking my head somewhere! Dangerous it is!

I was staying in a hotel that day. Housekeeping left a brochure introducing Ofuro, with some Citrius fruit in a net for the hot tub. Hot citrius bath wasn't a bad idea after a long day, but for a visitor this had not much to do with Ofuro >_<

If only bathing together was the norm here^^;...

Isn't it unhygenic?

This is really interesting~ :D didnt know ofuro is actually more then meets the eye.

Since I'm japanese decendant, when I was a kid, I used to take baths with my parents... when I was a little older (still bellow 10), I took baths with my father only.

I remember this well because he used to ask math questions while we were taking a bath. :P

But as I grew up, baths became rare till they just stopped.

First because I grew up, the tub wouldn't fit more than one person at a time.
Second, the climate became too hot. Even on winters, it was too rare to have a weather cold enough.
Third, it's too hard to clean it. It was not exactly an ofuro... more like a large bathtub.
My mom got a job again (she became a housewife after I was born), and there was no time for it anymore.

But like I already said on many posts, one of the things I enjoyed the most in my trip to Japan was the onsens.... which in a way, are kinda like a huge ofuro. xD

I take it to the next level by simply not taking a bath for weeks on end. This solves the problem of water usage and saves me time.

We don't have bath tube here, but we have a sauna which we use ~twice a week. There we sit together and enjoy the löyly.