Naked bathing and ten course feasts

Our quest to experience as much Japanese culture as we possibly can inevitably led us to the wonderful world of the onsen. An onsen is a natural hot spring bath whose waters have to contain at least one of 19 designated minerals and be a minimum of 25°C when they come out of the ground. My Japanese friends visit onsen with their families, friends or on their own for an invigorating and relaxing break away from the city. Good onsen areas are at least a couple of hours by train from Tokyo so we decided to go away for a few days to make the journey worthwhile, and truly experience the relaxation that a break at an onsen hotel can offer. What better time to do this than Golden Week at the beginning of May, when four public holidays fall within days of each other, meaning that people all over Japan have the opportunity to kick back, relax, and enjoy the onset of spring in and out of town. Simon had a whole week off work so all we needed was to find an onsen hotel that we could reach by train, and that hadn’t hiked its prices to astronomical levels because of the holiday season…Tsuruya-Kisshotei on the east coast of the Izu Peninsular was the one for us.

Tsuruya-Kisshotei, right on the sea front

The hills behind the village of Izu Hokkawa

The end of our bay

What we thought we were booking: two nights in a smallish room in a hotel with a couple of hot spring baths; dinner on both nights; breakfast both mornings. The website also assured us that every room had a sea view but, having been brought up on a diet of Fawlty Towers and the like, I was expecting a glimpse of the sea from the top corner of the bathroom window, maybe. What we actually received was way beyond my expectations, and was some of the best service, food and accommodation I have ever had.

Fishing harbour of Izu Hokkawa

Village shrine

On arrival on Monday lunchtime we sat in the lobby and were very gently taken through the check-in procedure. I was invited to choose a yukata (light cotton version of a kimono) from the beautiful selection provided in reception; we were also told there were more in the room for Simon. Having been booked in for dinner that evening, we were informed, to our surprise and pleasure, that lunch the next day was also included! Next we were taken to our room, which we discovered to our continuing delight, was a small suite of gorgeous Japanese-style tatami mat rooms, the larger one of which even had an enclosed balcony. And the sea view? Well, Fawlty Towers eat your heart out – this was a sea view and a half!

The Pacific, right outside our window!

Super-cool entrance to our room

The living area of our suite

Our futons were put out both evenings, and put away both mornings

After the member of staff had gone through everything with us (and brought us more yukata as it had been tactfully explained that we were probably too tall for the standard ones provided!), we were left alone with our amazement at exactly how we’d landed such a cool place. Off we went for an exploration of the hotel. We found the main baths inside the hotel – split into men's and women’s as expected. On our way back we were greeted by a very enthusiastic receptionist who gave us a great leaflet entitled ‘How to take a bath’, which detailed in several languages the etiquette that must be followed when using a Japanese bath:

1. Remove underwear and slippers before entering the bathing area.
2. Before entering the large bath, rinse your entire body thoroughly with hot water.
3. Relax and soak in the large bath.
4. Wash your body outside of the tub.
5. Make sure to rinse off all soap before re-entering the bath.
6. Dry yourself thoroughly before exiting the bathing area.

The cheat sheet!

Spurred on by this information, and the research we’d done at home on onsen etiquette, we decided to take the plunge, literally, and go for a bath. Having changed into our yukata, we returned to the baths, wished each other luck, and arranged to meet in the relaxation salon after our baths. Alone, we headed into our designated changing areas to begin the process. Our main concern was not to offend anyone by unwittingly getting something wrong but, certainly once inside the women’s baths, I found everything to be very self-explanatory and, by keeping an eye on what was going on around me, I think I managed to acquit myself moderately well. The women’s baths consisted of two outdoor baths, one indoor bath, a small cold water bath, and a sauna. In the changing area I was provided with large bath towels, small ‘modesty towels’ (with which to cover rude bits), hairdryers, razors, toothbrushes and paste, creams, potions and lotions. It sounds like there were similar provisions in the men’s baths. Obviously I couldn’t snap away with my camera so I borrowed some photos from the hotel’s website.

One of the women's outdoor baths
(c) Tsuruya-Kisshotei

Typical pre- and post-soak washing area

Literally translates as horse oil...but appears to do wonders for the hair!

Stacks of fresh towels are always available

After luxuriating in the hot water for a while, I washed and dried my hair, put my yukata back on, and went to meet Simon in the relaxation salon to compare notes. He had had a similarly enjoyable experience, and we both had a great feeling of relief and achievement for having cracked it. From there on in there was no stopping us as every few hours we popped to the baths. On Tuesday I think we went a total of five times! There was a little bit of surprise from both men and women at seeing foreigners in the baths, and we were both the subject of some staring but I think that’s mainly because we look so different in comparison to our Japanese counterparts: the women tend to have slim hips and small busts while I have neither; the men are relatively hairless while Simon has a small bear lurking on his chest. But overall it was a friendly, relaxing atmosphere.

Men's indoor bath
(c) Tsuruya-Kisshotei

In addition to the men and women’s baths in the main hotel building, we also had the use of the baths in the annex building, a short bus ride up the hill. We tried these out on Tuesday afternoon and were stunned by the views over the sea. First thing on Tuesday morning, we spent an hour or so in a private bath, the rental of which was included in our deal. This was an outdoor jacuzzi with the same wonderful sea view as our room. It rained pretty much non-stop while we were away, so we had the extra lovely experience of sitting in hot, bubbling water, with cold, heavy rain on our heads and arms. Fantastic. And invigorating at 7.30 in the morning! We also had a couple of goes in the outdoor mixed bath right by the sea. This was very cool – the baths were lined with large rocks that you could sit on to cool down for a bit before having another soak, and being so close to the sea was awesome as the waves crashed right in front of us. After our second turn in this bath we had a go in the footbath next door – a water trough lined with small stones that massaged your feet as you stood on them.

Women's outdoor bath in the annex
(c) Tsuruya-Kisshotei

Men's outdoor bath in the annex
(c) Tsuruya-Kisshotei

Our private jacuzzi on the roof!

Mixed bath right by the Pacific - cool eh?!
(c) Tsuruya-Kisshotei

Enjoying the footbath

In between trips to the baths we spent a lot of time relaxing on our balcony, looking at the sea or reading. And drinking beer of course. Apparently it’s never too early to start drinking beer when on holiday in Japan – we were mightily impressed to see an elderly couple tucking in at breakfast one morning! Self-preservation did kick in though, and we managed to wait until after lunch… Other relaxation facilities in the hotel included massage chairs and foot machines, on which I had several goes; table tennis and billiards, which we never got round to trying; and Tsuruya Yokocho, a room set up with a shooting range, some table games, and braziers over which you could cook your dried squid snack that came as a complimentary side dish to the free late afternoon beer provided. Sorted!

Beer on the balcony with the waves outside

Cool foot massage machine where I spent a lot of time

At the shooting range

Action shot! He won me some biscuits

Dried squid ready to be cooked

Mmm, beer!

The other main thing we did when not immersed in hot water was eat. And eat. And then eat some more. We only ever had to go three or four hours between meals and there seemed to be many opportunities to get more food if we had wished. Breakfast consisted of a buffet of cooked fish, sashimi, tofu, rice, miso soup, salad and fruit, while lunch was a large bowl of chirashizushi (scattered sushi), miso soup and pickles. In addition to the dried squid in Tsuruya Yokocho we could also get icecream and candyfloss, both purchased with the vouchers we’d been given at check-in.

Breakfast on Tuesday morning

Rainy but cool view from the dining room

Tuesday's lunch

Breakfast on Wednesday

Dinner was the meal really worthy of a fanfare though – on both evenings we were treated to an almost never-ending parade of fish, shellfish and vegetables cooked in just about every way you can imagine. Heavenly! For some reason, we seemed to have two more courses than everyone else in the restaurant but honestly, I’m not complaining! Add to the mix an all-you-can-eat tempura buffet freely available throughout the meal, wash it all down with a good bottle of sake…it was the stuff of my dreams.

We told them my birthday was coming up so were greeted with a
glass of sparkling wine on Tuesday evening

Tuesday evening's starters - various types of fish, roe and veg

Somewhere in the middle of Tuesday evening's meal. I was so excited
about all the food I forgot to take photos of the rest of the meal!

I got chocolate cake too! The staff printed us a copy of this photo
and gave it to me in a card the next day

At the beginning of Wednesday evening's feast

Our starters - sea snails marinaded in vinegary sauce. Delicious!

A giant and beautiful sashimi platter

Yuuuumy!

Decoration on the sashimi platter

And then offered to us as an extra course! We decided against it - good job
too, as there was a ton of food still to come!

Another fish. This one was cooked in a sweet soy sauce

For a man who used to be not so keen on fish,
Simon looks pretty happy with this meal!

Giant shellfish fried up with salt and served in the shell

'Digestif' of more sashimi, this time served with rice, miso soup and pickles

Pudding! Green tea roll cake - tea-y, salty and tasty

After another early morning bath on Wednesday, we packed up, checked out and caught the bus back to the station. The skyscrapers, traffic and busyness of Tokyo seemed a very long way away. In between snoozes on the train (it had, after all, been an exhausting couple of days) we started planning how and where we’re going to be able to build an onsen back in London…

We may of course just wander round like this,
whether or not we build an onsen...

またね!

Bring on the baseball!

The view from our stand

Having visited the sumo once, and with tickets for a day during this month’s basho in our possession, Simon and I decided that we should also check out the other sport for which Japan goes mad, namely, baseball.  I would never have thought of this as being a particularly Japanese sport but apparently it’s been around in this country since the 1870s, and its enthusiastic support is certainly evident in and around Tokyo and Yokohama with three major stadia located here (Tokyo Dome, Meiji Jingu Stadium and Yokohama Stadium). It was to the Tokyo Dome that we headed last Saturday, clutching our tickets for a Yomiuri Giants vs Hanshin Tigers match.

Tokyo Dome looking like a large jellyfish in the evening sun

Quite a lot of research went into getting the tickets in the first place, not in terms of where to sit/stand in the stadium, but in terms of how to use the ticket machine in our local convenience store. The machine’s name is Loppi and I spent some quality time making friends with its various screens and menus. I’m pleased to report that I achieved most of my order without having to ask for help, but at the point where it didn’t seem to want to accept my name (converted into Japanese) I asked the lady at the checkout for help. She was lovely, but very confused as to why I didn’t have any kanji (ideographic characters) for my name. I perhaps should have made some up…but before I could get creative she called over her colleague, who sorted it all out and enabled me to input the syllabic version of my name. Which, incidentally, I’ve decided is アビ バーベ. Loppi presented me with a foot-long receipt, which I took to the till, paid some money, and was handed my tickets there and then. In a convenience store five minutes’ walk from my apartment. Convenient? I think so!

My new friend Loppi

We had decided to go for the cheapest tickets on the basis that neither of us knows anything about baseball so there was no point in spending loads of money to discover that we weren’t that interested. And, it being five days before the equivalent of an Arsenal vs Manchester United match, all the expensive tickets had sold out months earlier. So, £10 standing tickets in hand, we joined the queue for Gate 25, wondering exactly what we were letting ourselves in for.

The queues weren't that long and we were in within about 10 minutes

Once inside, we spent a while wandering around the tunnels that circle the outer edge of the stadium, checking out the all-important food and drink stands. Through a combination of not really understanding the Japanese on the signs and generally just wanting to get in and get involved, we ended up in the away team’s stands somewhere around centre left field. Simon had been doing some reading up and found out that both the home and away teams have a section of the stands where the really hardcore supporters with their banners, trumpets, clackers, flags, drums and general noise-making apparatus congregate. You guessed it…Hanshin Tigers’ cheering section acquired two new foreign supporters on 28 April 2012!

I told Simon we should have worn matching outfits!

I have to say, if you’re going to spend a few hours at a sport about which you know nothing, make sure you stand with some really full on supporters and let yourself get swept up in the general mayhem and excitement of it all. Shortly after arriving, we were treated to a several-minute long rendition of all the various chants that would be used throughout the match, fully conducted by a person in white gloves, and accompanied by drumbeats and synchronized giant flag waving. This was reciprocated by our equivalents in the home team’s stands. For the rest of the evening, various parts of this chant were used depending on who was playing – there was a different bit for each player designed to rhyme with their names, for example “Let’s go, let’s go, Ya-ma-to!” and “ii, ii, Ar-a-ii!”. My favourite was one that honestly sounded like “Yomiuri bastards, ki-ki-kii!” I have no idea what was actually being chanted.

A white-gloved conductor leads the drumming and chanting

The flags waved in time with the chants

There is very little space in the standing area, but we were lucky enough to be next to a particularly avid supporter who had obviously bagged himself a great spot hours before the match. Whenever anyone came and stood in front of him he tapped them on the shoulder and shooed them out of the way with a menacing look on his face. People were usually so surprised and apologetic that they went miles away meaning that we too, for the most part, got a pretty clear view of the goings on. There were exceptions to this rule, who moved about a foot away from menacing-man, affording me a particularly great view of the game!

My view for a little while!

My favourite part of the whole evening was, unsurprisingly, the ease with which we could buy beer. In line with all things convenient and Japanese, we didn’t even have to move from our standing area but could get our pints from the lovely ladies who came round with kegs attached to their backs from which they dispensed ice-cold, smooth and tasty lager. And not just the one variety – there was a choice of Sapporo, Kirin, Asahi or Ebisu. Great stuff indeed. And talking of all things convenient, the fantastic tomato ketchup / mustard pot that came with Simon’s hotdog definitely goes on that list.

Happy beer face

Making friends

I really want a backpack
like this!

Convenient and delicious!

A baseball game is somewhere to let off a bit of steam – you can yell and clap to your heart’s content, dress up in all your supporting gear, drink a lot of beer, and generally unwind after a day at work. Despite it being a Saturday, there were a couple of young guys who had clearly come straight from the office but they soon forgot the day’s toil and got involved with the merry-making.

Hordes of fans in the stadium

Checking out the players' stats during a break

Dressed for the match

Unfortunately for those around us in the stands, the Hanshin Tigers were outplayed by the Yomiuri Giants and, when we left a little before the end of the game, the score was 7-2 to the Giants. Despite this, the cheering and support continued in the away team’s stands, and we certainly had a great time watching the game. I left on a high, feeling that I’d experienced another little bit of Japan’s multi-faceted culture.


またね!