Today, Friday December 26 gave me an insight into some aspects of Japanese culture and people I will never forget. Here is how it started and ended.
A colleague from school came and picked me up at around 11:20 a.m. He is one of the few teachers who has a car. As part of my cultural exchange activity, we had to drive to Odawara, in the western part of Kanagawa Prefecture, and visit the Hakone Hot Springs.
The trip took 2 hours and 30 minutes, one way. It involved driving up narrow mountainous roads, across towns like Atsugi (where I was told was the entry point of General MacArthur in Japan during WWII); going through tunnels dug deep inside mountains, crossing the Sakawagana River.
A constant point during the journey was the sight of Mt. Fuji, covered in snow.
From Sagamihara to Odawara, there are 4 toll gates. It was an opportunity for me to witness Japanese technology. In his car, E.T. (my colleague) has a device into which he inserts his bank card. As he comes closer to the toll, the scanner on the gate automatically reads and deducts the charge, and the gate lifts up. I was amazed! One more marvel uncovered...
On our way to the hot springs, we stopped at a Japanese shrine. I had to submit to various rituals: make a wish, jump over a woven bamboo mat, toss a coin into a dry well, and drink a ladle of spring water from a dragon fountain! Hope to see my dreams come true!
From the shrine, we stopped at a souvenir shop, where I was introduced to someone from the Maldives, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maldives.
Then, we finally got to Odawara, and the resort of Hakone. In my mind, I was thinking of hot springs and visualizing them as just hot water coming out of the earth. My mistake was probably due to the fact that, as we were driving up the mountain, I could see vapors coming out of the mountain side.
Once we got there, I realized and was told that Hakone is indeed a Hot Spa resort created from the natural hot sulfur springs. Then things (to put it mildly) got suddenly very interesting.
Culture Shock #1. To get into the spa, which costs 1,600 Yen ($13.76), everyone has to take off their clothes! At the main entrance, built like a hotel lobby, after checking in, you are given two towels, the size of hand napkins, and a locker key, for your personal effects. Past the lobby, men and women are separated. Once in the locker room, you have to remove your clothes. Only then can you proceed, naked, into the Spa, which are a series of hot bubble baths, Jacuzzi-style pools, showers, and steam room/sauna.
You proceed from one pool or sauna to the other at your convenience, trying not to feel consciously naked in the middle of naked Japanese men of all ages!
Apart from this ...ahem, bizarre feeling, the experience is quite satisfying. You can literally feel your body relaxing.
It is said that frequent bathing in these hot springs help with blood flow, oxygenation, and overall well-being. I cannot argue. The Japanese are the ones with the highest life expectancy.
We spent over two hours in the various springs. I think I came out feeling better and stronger.
After the spa, I was treated to a traditional meal. I know that at one point I ate beef, rice, and onions. The rest, I will tell in the morning. I also discovered another local beer: Yebisu. It is named after one of the 7 Buddhist deities whose role is to make us happy and successful. I think it is a Buddhist version of Bacchus.
I got back home at around 8 p.m. All in all, a very nice day, a cultural eye-opener. Japan, I am coming to realize, is not only about electronics and cars. The people are friendly and funny, but in a very subtle and reserve way.
Tomorrow Saturday December 27 is another day. I have nothing planned, though the English teacher from Ireland wants me to come along to a Karaoke, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karaoke. I don't know about that.
Bye for now and take care. Stay log-in for my next adventures and insights into 21st century Japan.
Anthony
A colleague from school came and picked me up at around 11:20 a.m. He is one of the few teachers who has a car. As part of my cultural exchange activity, we had to drive to Odawara, in the western part of Kanagawa Prefecture, and visit the Hakone Hot Springs.
The trip took 2 hours and 30 minutes, one way. It involved driving up narrow mountainous roads, across towns like Atsugi (where I was told was the entry point of General MacArthur in Japan during WWII); going through tunnels dug deep inside mountains, crossing the Sakawagana River.
A constant point during the journey was the sight of Mt. Fuji, covered in snow.
From Sagamihara to Odawara, there are 4 toll gates. It was an opportunity for me to witness Japanese technology. In his car, E.T. (my colleague) has a device into which he inserts his bank card. As he comes closer to the toll, the scanner on the gate automatically reads and deducts the charge, and the gate lifts up. I was amazed! One more marvel uncovered...
On our way to the hot springs, we stopped at a Japanese shrine. I had to submit to various rituals: make a wish, jump over a woven bamboo mat, toss a coin into a dry well, and drink a ladle of spring water from a dragon fountain! Hope to see my dreams come true!
From the shrine, we stopped at a souvenir shop, where I was introduced to someone from the Maldives, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maldives.
Then, we finally got to Odawara, and the resort of Hakone. In my mind, I was thinking of hot springs and visualizing them as just hot water coming out of the earth. My mistake was probably due to the fact that, as we were driving up the mountain, I could see vapors coming out of the mountain side.
Once we got there, I realized and was told that Hakone is indeed a Hot Spa resort created from the natural hot sulfur springs. Then things (to put it mildly) got suddenly very interesting.
Culture Shock #1. To get into the spa, which costs 1,600 Yen ($13.76), everyone has to take off their clothes! At the main entrance, built like a hotel lobby, after checking in, you are given two towels, the size of hand napkins, and a locker key, for your personal effects. Past the lobby, men and women are separated. Once in the locker room, you have to remove your clothes. Only then can you proceed, naked, into the Spa, which are a series of hot bubble baths, Jacuzzi-style pools, showers, and steam room/sauna.
You proceed from one pool or sauna to the other at your convenience, trying not to feel consciously naked in the middle of naked Japanese men of all ages!
Apart from this ...ahem, bizarre feeling, the experience is quite satisfying. You can literally feel your body relaxing.
It is said that frequent bathing in these hot springs help with blood flow, oxygenation, and overall well-being. I cannot argue. The Japanese are the ones with the highest life expectancy.
We spent over two hours in the various springs. I think I came out feeling better and stronger.
After the spa, I was treated to a traditional meal. I know that at one point I ate beef, rice, and onions. The rest, I will tell in the morning. I also discovered another local beer: Yebisu. It is named after one of the 7 Buddhist deities whose role is to make us happy and successful. I think it is a Buddhist version of Bacchus.
I got back home at around 8 p.m. All in all, a very nice day, a cultural eye-opener. Japan, I am coming to realize, is not only about electronics and cars. The people are friendly and funny, but in a very subtle and reserve way.
Tomorrow Saturday December 27 is another day. I have nothing planned, though the English teacher from Ireland wants me to come along to a Karaoke, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karaoke. I don't know about that.
Bye for now and take care. Stay log-in for my next adventures and insights into 21st century Japan.
Anthony
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