The bathing experience

Japan is an expensive country to travel in, so our travels have led us to more budget accommodations which have shared bathrooms. These involve group nakedness (alas, segregated by sex), rows of little stools by a wall of mirrors and showers, where you shower sitting down, then proceed to the communal pool for a soak, then back for another wash and rinse.

It's the same 3,000 in the country. Sad thing is, that again, they are virtually all segregated by sex, so not really the most relaxing way to spend an afternoon or evening with your wife, as she'll be in the women's only pool, and you'll be in the men's pool. Actually we found one place in Norikura Kogen Onsen that had a private pool for two (a small guesthouse), which was fabulous. We did, however, smell like we'd been bathing in pond mud for days after, a smell that wouldn't leave procedure for the Japanese onsen, or natural spring/spa pools with waters having various mineral contents and healing properties, of which there are over us until after about five showers each. We'll not get colds for three years now, apparently!