A Word on Bathing in Japan

No pictures today, didn't have much time to explore since I was giving lessons. However, I would like to talk a little bit about the proper bathing technique in Japan. One of the first things that I noticed upon arriving is that there are two drains in my bathroom, one in the tub proper, and one in the middle of the floor. Naturally, this confused me. Why have two drains, when only the one in the bathtub is needed? After my first shower, I realized this: the drain in the bathtub is just a hole, and, in fact, the entire tub is not connected to the rest of the room. I learned this when I reached to grab my shampoo, and almost upended the entire apparatus as the entire thing tilted towards the side I was reaching to! Did I mention that the tub is a three by three box, which goes up to my hips? So I had no place to reposition my legs, and probably would have broken my teeth had the tub actually tipped. I now understand why I need two drains. For those who are interested, here is the proper procedure for bathing in Japan:

1. Fill the tub with water, preferably as hot as you can stand.

2. Before entering the tub, use the shower to soap and shampoo. Remove any nastiness and get nice and clean.

3. Enter the tub of near-scalding water.

4. Soak for about 20 minutes or until you have sweat out 15% of your body weight, whichever comes first.

5. Take another shower, washing away all the sweat which has accumulated during your extended soak.

6. Dry yourself off.

7. Step out of the room, and then pull the drain on the tub. (I learned this one after having to dry myself off the first time in four inches of standing water. Apparently my floor drain does not have the same water flow as the drain in the tub, causing a major backup.)

Besides the long procedure, having a personal, if very tiny and confined, jacuzzi is quite nice. I think once I really get the hang of it, I could really get used to this.