We finished the evening tonight with our first visit to an onsen. Which is a Japanese hot spring or spa. This one is on the 13th floor of the Monterey Hotel. Unfortunately it was a segregated spa, as most are in Japan, so no communal bathing this time. I had to head for the men's wing and Michelle headed for the ladies wing to nude up and take a dip. No clothes allowed in Japanese onsen. The etiquette is to strip, go to the bath and wash yourself with soap and shower off before you take the plunge. Then you sit in the hot tub for as long as you can stand the 40 degrees C heat. The baths are as big as, I dunno, very small hotel pool - maybe a as big as 3 or 4 jacuzzis. There was also an outdoor bath with views out over Kyoto. It wasn't cold tonight so I spent 10 minutes or so in outside bath too.
Michelle had the better end of the deal. She got to bathe with a bunch of young Japanese hotties whereas I got to hang out... ahem... with a bunch of dudes. So am I big in Japan? 'Fraid not.
Cameras, as you would expect, are a no-no in onsen so here is a picture of the outdoor bath at the Monterey from their website. Just imagine my big pasty white backside mooning you as I lean over the back edge of the bath to get a view of the city.
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