A Hot Soak

Leaf 104 – Reflections

 

Ichijo Narumi - Female Nude Seated in Water (1906)

Onsen ryokan, or traditional Japanese hot spring inns, are one of my most favourite elements of life in Japan. We tend to visit them in the winter or early spring, when the weather is cold. They usually have a rotemburo, which is a large and often communal bath outdoors. It’s nice to sit in these, surrounded by snow. There’s something about the mineral-infused heat which is seared and suffused within the water drawn from hot springs which seems to me to be hot in a way which the mechanically-heated water of an ordinary bathtub at home is simply unable to attain. Relaxing in an onsen bath after a long and cheerful day of walking deep in the rural countryside always imbues a well-earned sense of ease which feels second to none. Bathing is a big part of Japanese culture, but I think whatever country or culture we happen to hail from, there is something deeply relaxing and self-reflective about sitting in a hot bath, a self-contemplative sentiment which we all can share.

 

 

A hot soak

in the bathtub

– gazing at my navel.