Sakurajima / Active Volcano / Hot Spring Wonderland

Add Sakurajima (桜島, Cherry Island) to your list of Japanese locations to visit. One of the thirty-or-so hot springs that have made my list of the top ten hot springs is on Sakurajima. (Keeping a list of the ten best hot springs in Japan is impossible. Japan has too many.) Sakurajima was an island of Kagoshima Prefecture. In 1914, a huge eruption and massive lava flow created a land bridge to that island, forming a tiny peninsula. The volcano is still active, assuring a steady supply of hot spring water for gorgeous onsens with ocean views, fertile soil for growing the world's largest daikons (larger than soccer balls), and volcano alerts to keep you on your toes.

Beautiful Woman Experiencing Peace in Hot Spring

Some hot springs have connections with ancient religious practices. The Furusato Kanko Hotel on the island of Sakurajima, Kagoshima, has a shrine with a hot spring on the premises.  Males and females bathe together, but nudity is forbidden. All bathers must wear special white cotton robes, or yukata. White signifies purity in the Shinto religion.  A tree of great age is at the base of a cliff, and hot water gushes out from between its vast roots. In front of the tree is a red torii, or shrine gate. The edge of the bath is just meters from the clear blue sea of Kagoshima Bay. Fishing boats slowly pass by, birds fly overhead, and the entire experience purifies the soul and body. UPDATE: The hotel closed down. I will let you know when it reopens.

Couple Bathing in Holy Hot Spring

The volcano lives. Ash, rocks, and smoke often spew from the maw of the volcano. Pay attention to the locations of the emergency shelters that the government has built all over Sakurajima. The ash has positive points. The soil is so fertile that vegetables and fruits grown on the island are surprisingly large. Kagoshima reportedly has a higher per capita ownership of clothes dryers than anywhere else in Japan, which must please the manufacturers of clothes dryers. Of course, the cherry trees are also quite cheery.

Sakurajima Daikons are Larger than My Own Swollen Head

Much of Sakurajima is a national park. There is a tremendous amount of open space in the mountains and along the coasts. On one visit to Sakurajima, camping/bathing buddies and I drove to various lovely locations and camped free. Fishing, swimming, snorkeling, and kayaking are some of the many fun activities for you to enjoy.

Click to see a live cam of Sakurajima.

This link will lead to a map showing the hotel where the photographs of the hot spring were taken.

Published Article About Hot Springs

The Diversity and Serenity of Hot Springs

After a long hiatus, the hot spring addict will soon be adding more posts. He just got too damn busy, lost his way in the busy work world, and dried out. But a good long soak in a hot spring with a mind-altering view of a cosmic blue sky and energetic ocean revitalized his writing soul! Eye-Ai Magazine just accepted my article about hot springs. "The Diversity and Serenity of Hot Springs" is in the June 2012 edition.

My article briefly introduces the reader to hot springs in relation to Japanese culture. Here are the first two paragraphs:

Bathing naked with friends, neighbors, family members, and even strangers is a Japanese custom. Scandalous as this might seem to non-Japanese, it is a very natural and innocent practice that promotes relaxation, health, and bonding.  Communal bathing is usually not done in homes, but in public or private hot springs. The Japanese idiom hadaka no tsukiai, which literally means “naked relationship,” describes the fellowship that develops when nothing is hidden. Only a miniscule towel is used to cover the intimate parts, and that towel is often used as a headband. In a hot spring, the body in all of its beauty and its imperfections is nothing to be ashamed of. The custom of communal bathing goes back thousands of years.

Some hot springs have connections with ancient Japanese religious practices. The Furusato Kanko Hotel on the island of Sakurajima, Kagoshima, has a shrine with a hot spring on the premises.  Males and females bathe together, but nudity is forbidden. All bathers must wear special white cotton robes, or yukata. White signifies purity in the Shinto religion.  At the base of a cliff is a tree of great age, and hot water gushes out from between its huge roots. In front of the tree is a red torii, or shrine gate. The edge of the bath is just meters from the clear blue sea of Kagoshima Bay. Fishing boats slowly pass by, birds fly overhead, and the entire experience purifies the soul and body.

Eye-Ai Magazine is sold in bookstores in Japan, California, and Hawaii. You can also order copies over the Internet. If curious, check out their Internet webpage.

Cascading Waterfall Shower (打たせ湯): A Beatific Hot Spring Experience

Visualize the strong fingers of a skillful masseuse expertly massaging your shoulders. Now, imagine that those fingers are pleasantly hot, and any tight or sore muscles will start to feel better without even being in a hot spring. If you could add a hot spring to the experience, that moment would be pure bliss. Hot spring water cascading onto your skin is the healing experience of utaseyu, 打たせ湯.

Try it! You'll probably become addicted.

Cascading Waterfall Massage at Hot Spring on Sakurajima, Kagoshima, Japan

The picture above was taken at the Furusato Kanko Hotel. To see another view of the spring and to learn more, click here. Update: The hotel went bankrupt, so we can no longer enjoy this onsen. However, many other hot springs with utaseyu wait for your visit. I recommend the Meitetsu Inuyama Hotel Onsen, and Sainokawara Onsen.

 

Hot Spring on an Island (Ioujima, Nagasaki)

The best island hot spring in Nagasaki is Yasuragi on Iojima.

Enjoy a Selection of Baths

Most people only know about Nagasaki because the U.S. military dropped an atomic bomb on that city near the conclusion of WWII. Nagasaki is culturally and geographically amazing. The Shimabara/Unzen area of Nagasaki has been designated as a Global Geopark by UNESCO. The park includes a volcano, called Fugendake, and where volcanoes play, hot springs sprout.

Today's post will introduce a gorgeous hot spring, called Yasuragi Ioujima, (やすらぎ伊王島) on a small island a short distance by boat from Nagasaki.

Yasuragi Ioujima is the name of a hotel on the small island of Ioujima, not the infamous island of WWII  history, Iwo jima. Jima or shima, means island in Japanese  Ioujima is actually two tiny islands joined by small bridges. The distance between the islands is no more than twenty meters. Circling the islands by bicycle can be done within a few hours, including taking time to look at the ocean views or stop and swim in the sea. Rental bicycles are available for two or three hundred yen.

A small ferry takes half an hour from Nagasaki to the island. There is also a bridge, but I recommend taking the ferry because you can get a panoramic view of Ioujima, other islands, and Nagasaki Bay.  Also, riding a ferry promotes the feeling of relaxation and escaping from the routines of everyday life.

The spaciously arranged hot spring facilities at Yasuragi Ioujima are beautifully designed: seasoned wood, clean stones, water running out of holes in stones. Each  indoor bath is different. The sea is visible from all of the outdoor baths, as well as from the steam sauna. Olive oil extract mixed with  hot water distinguishes one indoor bath from probably all others in Japan. I have bathed in Japanese hot springs mixed with milk, green tea, sake, and various fruits, but never olive oil. Next time, I'll try and remember to bring some pasta.

Another unique bathing experience is lying down on a reclining wooden platform  which has hot water flowing down from the top. Only the part of your body touching the wood is heated. As I lay  daydreaming and finding shapes in clouds, into my field of vision came a large dark-colored bird of prey, circling for food in the sea below. It suddenly cried loudly, a sound which thrilled me as I am a nature lover.  Suddenly, though, small black droplets flew out of its anus, like a group of parachutists jumping out of a plane. I was amazed at first, then disconcerted as the cloud of droplets fell toward my naked body. Luckily, for me, but unluckily for anyone in the nearby female bathing area, the droplets moved in the wind a few meters to my side. Yes, bathing in hot springs is a dangerous sport, not for the faint of heart.

Click here for a short commercial produced by the hotel above. I receive no commissions, and I include this link only because the short video does a good job of showing the activities on the island and the gorgeous baths.

Another island with hot springs that I recommend is Sakurajima in Kagoshima.

Indoor Hinoki Bath

Outdoor Reclining Bath - Watch Out for Birds!

Notice the Water Pouring Out of a Hole in the Stone

Explanation about the Olive Oil Extract Bath

Mixed-sex Bathing in a Japanese Konyokuburo

Many people have questions about public mixed-sex hot springs, what the Japanese call Konyokuburo (混浴風呂): What exactly does Konyokuburo mean? Is it embarrassing? Where does it happen? Why would men and women who are strangers bathe together? Is it sexual? Are people completely naked?

In the past, everyone was naked. The only suit allowed in most onsens was the birthday suit. People do use towels to cover their bodies when walking about the hot spring facilities, but these towels are just a tad larger than an American hand towel. A man usually holds it in front of his genitals when walking between baths or sitting outside of one. A woman might be able to cover up the area between the breasts and genitalia with her towel. Towels are not allowed in the water, so nakedness usually reigns. Covering one’s hair with a towel is acceptable if the towel does not enter the water.

However, Japanese culture is changing. Nowadays, numerous onsens catering to foreign visitors provide special robes for shy guests or allow bathers to wrap their bodies with large towels. Rules differ considerably. I believe that no one needs to be ashamed of one's body and nakedness renders us all equal. 

The two kanjis for konyokuburo (混浴) translate into the English words mix and bathtub. There are many places in Japan where men and women bathe together, but they are not all konyokuburo. Kazokuburos (家族風呂) and kashikiriburos (貸切風呂) are similar in that male and female bathers can enjoy being together. The important distinction is that konyokuburos are public. Anyone can enter at any time. You may end up bathing with complete strangers—some might be stranger than you would like. Most of the people are pleasant.  I just recently enjoyed two outdoor konyokuburus in Tsubame Onsen, Niigata, and everyone was friendly and gracious.

Kazokuburo means family bathtub, and kashikiriburo means a rented bathtub. Others cannot join you, your family, or your friends in Kazokuburo or kashikiriburo. These terms basically have the same meaning. You pay and then you have control of the baths for a set time. With konyokuburo, you have no control regarding who will join you.

 

Many expensive ryokans come with private onsen baths that are inside or outside the rooms. Some places, such as Takanosu in Niigata prefecture come with both. Accommodations like these make mix-sex bathing uncomplicated and relaxing. 

Mixed-sex bathing is a practice that goes back hundreds, probably thousands of years. However, the number of public mixed-sex facilities is decreasing. The social mores of Japanese are changing. People are becoming reluctant to socialize with strangers, and that, of course, includes bathing. In the past, most homes were not equipped with bathtubs. A village might have only one bathing facility. Baths were often communal, and they served various social functions.

When I bathe in a konyokuburo, I have a complicated mixture of feelings. I become very conscious of how others might perceive me, so I do my best to avoid looking at the breasts or vaginal areas of women. I do not want a woman to think that I am a pervert if I should look in her direction, so I concentrate on the sky, trees, or the water. If we should converse, I look directly into her eyes. This concentration and slight worry on my part does detract a bit from the relaxing experience of bathing.

On the other hand, though, I enjoy being with a group of people who believe that nudity is nothing to be ashamed of. A part of me experiences a sense of freedom and of shedding uptight social conventions when I am in a konyokuburu. It is also nice that male and female friends can be together, instead of being separated as they are in most hot springs.

As for sexual activity, I have never seen or heard about it happening at a konyokuburo. Probably, the chance that a stranger or strangers might suddenly enter would hinder the impulses of most people. Anyone who wants to have sex in a Japanese onsen would most likely do it in a private kashikiriburo or kazokuburo.

My first experience and one of my most recent experiences at konyokuburos were very different. The first time was with three couples who were all friends and a child of one of the couples. It was a very relaxing experience because of the trust and friendship we felt for each other. We were enjoying the evening in a bath located about twenty yards above the ocean on Sakurajima Island, Kagoshima. The blackness of the sea melded with the darkness of the sky. The edge of a vast arena of glimmering stars denoted the horizon.

In contrast, an experience at a konyokuburo in Yuya Onsen, Aichi Prefecture, was very different. In fact, it was strange. My brother-in-law and I went to Yukawa Onsen (unfortunately closed now) in the town of Yuya, Aichi Prefecture, because of the great view it offered from the side of a clean, meandering river. One woman and six men were in the bath when we entered. This woman did not seem concerned at all about being the only woman there, and her boyfriend/husband/partner(?) did not seem to mind either. As I mentioned earlier, women in mixed-sex bathing situations usually cover their breasts and vaginal areas with a tiny towel when outside of the water. This woman, however, did not bother using her towel. The bath was ringed by large rocks. She suddenly stood up and sat on one of the rocks without her towel, and she did not even close her legs. This was very unusual behavior. It was impossible for anyone in the bath to miss the view of her private area. Her display made me feel shy. She was directly in front of me, so I had to keep my head turned away in order to prevent any misunderstanding. I did not want her boyfriend to think that I was staring at her. Another man, though, focused his gaze only on her for the hour or so that I was in the bath. I doubt that he even noticed the river, the sky, or anyone else. His behavior and her public display were unexpected and in violation of unstated social mores.   

In conclusion, the naked reality of mixed-sex bathing is that the atmosphere of each onsen will vary from place to place and your experience will vary from time to time. Once you get used to it, you will wonder what all the fuss was about.

Do you want to learn more about Japanese vocabulary related to hot springs? If so, click  to read a Japanese to English glossary of Japanese onsen terminology.