Embracing the onsen

I wasn't too sure about this whole onsen idea. I have previoulsy visited public baths in Turkey and the like but had never got down to the ol' birthday suit before. The onsen areas are split into male and female bathing areas and the water is sourced from hot springs. It is supposed to be a relaxing, enjoyable experience to release tension from the muscles and cleanse the body and spirit. They can be outdoor or indoor bathing areas, single pools or multiple pools of different temperatures.

Seeing as my first onsen experience was on a ski trip with a bunch of boys, I realised I would have to face this on my own. Which, looking back now, may have been a good thing. I was able to work myself up to getting nude with strangers but I'm not sure I will be ever up for stripping down with family or my mates.

The boys had described the hotel onsen as a shower area next to a hot spring pool. I assumed this meant that I could sneak in, have a shower  in a cubicle and disappear without facing any naked ladies. What they neglected to mention was that the shower area was actually a row of stools in front of mirrors with shower heads attached to flexible cords. And this shower area was directly next to the pools. There was no getting around it. This uptight, conservative Aussie was going to have to get down and get naked like the locals.


 Dressed in my yukata (light summer kimono), towel in hand and gorgeous plastic green slippers on my feet I entered the change room. This was no high school locker room with girls hiding under towels, spraying cheap deodarant and twisting themselves back into their uniforms. This was all out nudity on a big scale. 

Avoiding any eye contact, I placed my kimono and towel in a cubicle and made a dash for the internal door. Glancing around, trying not to catch an eyeful of anything furry or pink, I made my way to the closest stool and rinsed myself in soap from the huge pump pack on the shelf.

Once I was rinsed off, I checked nervously over each shoulder and made sure the path to the edge of the pool was clear. I snuck a look to my left and to my right, both stool occupants were busy washing their hair or inspecting their toenails, so I made a dash for it.

I slipped into the pool and felt the heat creep up my body. I instantly felt more relaxed. My personal bits were covered, I had the pool to myself and the heat was working wonders on my sore muscles. Maybe this wasn't so bad after all. I closed my eyes and eased lower into the pool.

After about 10 minutes of soaking, my skin lobster red and sweat beginning to drip from every pore, it was time to make an exit. The funny thing was, I had become so relaxed in the hot springs, I decided I didn't care about being nude anymore. These Japanese were onto something, this onsen experience felt good. I was a woman with a new attitude, I had the same bits as everyone else in the room, I didn't care anymore. So I climbed out and I strutted my way out of the bathing area and into the change rooms. I didn't even grab my towel and try and cover myself. I just went to my corner and got dressed like I was the only one in the room.

 Bring on the next onsen! I'm ready for it. And next time I will bring a beer from the vending machine to drink while I soak. Another thing, the boys forgot to mention....

Shiga Kogen - Snow Monkey Beer Festival

A day after arrving in Tokyo, it was onto the bus from Shinjuku station to Shiga Kogen with the Tokyo Snow Club - www.tokyosnowclub.com

Boy, was I unprepared for the level of stamina required to survive 3 days of skiing,  2 nights of craft beer tasting and after party dance floor carnage. 

We stayed at the Shiga Highland Hotel Annex, sharing with Chris and two of his Aussie co-workers.
Accomodation was pretty basic, futons on the floor for the boys and being the only girl, I scored the one proper bed in the room, thanks guys! Accomodation included breakfast and dinner as part of the deal, which was lots of miso soup, rice, hot pot and random bits of fish. But the sweetest part was the short walk across the road to access the ski lifts.

 Slippers, slippers everywhere. Green slippers were for indoors and blue ones for toilet use only.

I got the death stare from a Japanese guest when I was walking along the corridor in my ski boots rather than the slippers, whoops! 

Below is the view out the window, had to crack it open for some fresh air, 3 days of skiing and drinking = stinky room!!

Some skiing shots from the two bluebird days.....

First day was windy and overcast but I had a great lesson with one of the guys from Tokyo Snow Club and felt I deserved the following snacks from the vending machines :

Oh yeah, ice-cream vending machines, up there with beer vending machines as the greatest things in Japan. Also very impressed with the delicous craft beers availabe, some of which we sampled at the Snow Monkey Beer Festival on in the events centre right behind our hotel.

My favourite beer of the night:

Also really enjoyed the crazy bands playing at the festival and the impromptu break dancing lesson by some of the guys on the snow club trip. 

This guy wasn't part of our group, I just liked his coat.

Following the beer festival each night was more drinking, dancing and DJing from the Tokyo Snow Club guides. Great way to start our year in Japan, lots of skiing, beers and meeting heaps of people. 

Nearly forgot, there were also snow monkeys!!

Front view

Back view

 Apparantly you shouldn't get too close or they will throw poo at you!

Sayonara Melbourne, Konichiwa Tokyo

Armed with 16 hours of Japanese lessons and 45kg of luggage I arrived in Tokyo a week ago to join my partner, Chris, who has been living here since the start of December. We are lucky enough to be staying in Tokyo for about a year via a transfer with Chris' work. The Japanese seem pretty relaxed about what food items you bring into the country so we bought in a kilo of vegemite and a kilo of cadbury chocolate, thanks Costco.

My favourite parts of our Tokyo apartment:

The awesome heated toilet seat, who doesn't appreciate a warm seat on a cold day?
Was a little freaky having a warm seat at the public toilets but I'm total into it now.

And the giant shower room, hello super strong water pressure! And you can splash as much as you like without soaking your towel :)

Took me awhile to work out the oven but was very happy to discover it is also a microwave. 

Tiny apartment but giant bathroom. Tiny kitchen but huge sink. Also giant king size bed, which I have discovered I can sleep in sideways. I think I can work with this!

While wondering around looking for our local supermarket I spotted a small curtained area at the edge of a park. Being a nosy type, I decided to stick my head in and discovered a men's urinal area. Luckily I was super ninja and the guy using the faciliites didn't even turn around, although I am sure I let out a squeak as I withdrew my head back behind the curtain.

On further investigation I discovered the park was actually the Hie-jinja shrine in Akasaka. I decided to sit down with the locals eating their lunch and get my bearings again.

Also spotted this cute pet store on my walk home. All the puppies had their own bottles and toys, not sure where the go to the toilet though??