Are Hot Springs and Onsen the Same Thing? Here’s What You Should Know! Posted Feb 20, 2024
Did you know that Japan has more hot springs than anywhere else in the world?
In anime, we often see waifus like Erza Scarlet (Fairy Tail) or Chitoge Kirisaki (Nisekoi) relaxing in hot springs, and I’ve wanted to try them with my friends at least once. If you have the same wish but haven’t had the opportunity, this brief explanation will prepare you for when the time comes!
Hot Springs or Onsens?
Hot Springs are natural occurrences. Underground water is heated by magma or runs through hot rocks and becomes warm once it reaches the surface, carrying lots of minerals. The warmth and minerals in hot springs waters made them famous for applications in medicinal and relaxation purposes.
But did you know that hot springs and onsens aren’t always the same thing?
To be considered onsen, hot springs must meet specific requirements, such as temperature and the amount of substances in the water! Onsen also refers to facilities around the springs.
Onsen For Tourists!
In general, etiquette rules must be followed at every onsen or bathhouse in Japan.
First, guests must wash themselves very well before entering the spring. You don’t want to leave any traces of dirt or soap on the spring, right?
Nowadays, onsens often have separate bathing areas for men and women. When the bathing area is mixed, a swimsuit or bathing suit called yugi is usually required. However, some onsens don’t allow swimsuits in the spring area. Modern establishments may require them if the area is gender-mixed.
Onsen guests generally bring a small towel to use as a washcloth. The towel can help cover the body when walking between the wash and bath areas. Some onsens even allow guests to keep them in the baths.
Another etiquette rule, and maybe the most famous, is regarding tattoos. Over half of Japanese onsens forbid the presence of guests with tattoos. This is meant to keep Yakuza members and other gangsters or groups away from their facilities.
Additionally, anyone with open cuts, sores, or lesions is not recommended to bathe. And, in recent years, more onsens are adding chlorine to their waters to prevent infection.
Would You Try Onsen Tamago?
I always remember the onsen tamago from playing the old Harvest Moon Game franchise (Bokujou Monogatari)!
Onsen tamago (or hot spring egg) is a regular chicken egg immersed in hot spring water (around 70ºC or 158ºF) for around 40 minutes. The result is a firm but creamy yolk and a custard-like white, that is often served only with sauce and chopped green onion.
Animes Set in Hot Spring Inns
This post wouldn’t be complete without great anime suggestions! Here are my recommendations for a few anime set in Hot Spring Inns, traditional inns with hot spring areas.
Hanasaku Iroha: Blossoms for Tomorrow
Hanasaku Iroha is a drama about new beginnings and adapting to new situations.
Ohana Matsumae is an energetic and wild teenager from Tokyo who moved in with her grandmother to a small inn in rural Japan after grandma decided to run away with her boyfriend.
As she adapts to the tranquil lifestyle of the countryside, Ohana deals with the challenges of working as a maid and making new friends.
Yuuna and the Haunted Hot Springs
This is a spicier recommendation, especially for fans of gorgeous anime girls and fanservice. Yuuna and the Haunted Hot Springs (Yuragi-sou no Yuuna-san) is a fun show that has inspired anime merchandise for one of the best anime subscription boxes I've ever seen!
A haunted hot springs inn was turned into a boarding house with cheap rent. Due to rumors of a vile ghost, only a few peculiar people are willing to live there. One of them is Kogarashi Fuyuzora, a broke, homeless exorcist.
As he prepares to face the ghost, he discovers it’s not evil or dangerous. Instead, the spirit is a beautiful young girl who can’t remember anything about her past life except her name: Yuuna.
Kogarashi attempts to uncover the regret that stops Yuuna from going to the other side. At the same time, he shares the boarding house with Yuuna and all the pretty and unique ladies, making his living situation quite chaotic.
Kakuriyo: Bed and Breakfast for Spirits
And finally, going further into the mystic realm, I present you Bed and Breakfast for Spirits!
In this show, Aoi Tsubaki has always been able to see human-eating spirits called "ayakashi." Shirou Tsubaki, her grandfather, shared the same ability and taught her how to live with the ayakashi in peace.
After her grandfather abruptly passes, Aoi must continue her college career alone, armed with only the knowledge of cooking — hoping the ayakashi will not turn to her or other humans for a tasty meal.
One day, after giving her lunch to an ayakashi, she is transported to the Hidden Realm. In this strange world, a mysterious spirit reveals himself as the ogre god Oodanna, the master innkeeper of a hot spring inn for ayakashi. The spirit informs her that because of her grandfather's debt, Aoi will be forced to marry him.
But the young woman isn’t willing to give in so easily and settles things on her terms. Aoi chooses to rely on her cooking abilities and pay off her grandfather’s debt by opening an eatery at Oodanna's Inn!
Go Ahead and Relax!
The experience of bathing in an onsen is not so different from what anime shows us. However, experiencing it in real life is something else!
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