Onsen, a key for refreshing 温泉、気分転換の秘訣

I contacted my old friend who used to be my English teacher when I was in Hiroshima 14 years ago. He is quiet but a very considerate person, I enjoyed his accompany very much. For his leaving to Tokyo, I presented him a cartoon in which he takes everything on his bicycle and walks to the direction Tokyo from Hiroshima. Since then he sent me New Year card almost every year. Until this year, I did not have chances to see him. I was not able to stay in Tokyo long enough during my holiday in Japan, I would return to Japan every two years or so. This time I decided myself to see as many people as possible during my stay in Japan and I packed many appointments into my schedule.

広島に居た14年前、英語の先生だった古い友人にコンタクトを採った。彼は静かでじっくりものを考えるタイプで、彼と一緒に居るのは楽しかった。彼が東京に行くことになったとき、彼が広島から東京へ、彼の自転車と一緒に家財道具を運ぶ様子を絵に描いてプレゼントした。以来毎年年賀状をもらっている。今年まで彼と会う機会はなかった。日本での休暇中、東京にそれほど居られなかったし、日本にも2年かそれ以上に1度帰ってくるだけだ。今回は日本の滞在中にできるだけたくさんの人に会おうと決めて、スケジュールにできる限りの予定を詰め込んだ。

Traveling in Japan is not especially cheap as a traveler, even for Japanese. I would go to Hiroshima, Nagoya and Tokyo except my home town Gifu where my parents live. When I wrote to my friends about my schedule in Japan, I mentioned that room offer for a night or two is very welcome. He was the first one to reply me that I am more than welcomed to stay at his apartment. I knew that he married a Japanese woman and has a small daughter by New Year card, but never met before. And he asked me if I would like to go Onsen with them for a night. I responded that it would be fine because I did not want to be busy but just feel relaxed and enjoy talk with them.

日本を旅行するのは、旅行者にとって、たとえそれが日本人であっても、特別安いわけではない。普通実家の岐阜を除き、広島、名古屋、東京を回る。日本の友人たちに日本の滞在予定を知らせるメールを書いたとき、宿の提供は大歓迎すると付け加えた。彼が誰よりも先に、ぜひ泊まっていって欲しいとの連絡をくれた。彼が日本の女性と結婚し、娘が居ることも年賀状を見て知っていたが、会ったことは一度もない。それから彼は、その晩温泉に一緒に行かないかと聞いてきた。忙しくするよりものんびりと話を楽しみたいから喜んで同行すると返事した。

On the meeting day, he picked me up at nearby station, once leaving some baggage at his house we headed toward Chichibu in Saitama prefecture. Maruyama-Kohsen is our destination. He is cyclist and he often went there by bicycle! I did not go to onsen ryokan for long time; the last one should be the one in Shimane when I went there with my friends to enjoy crabs more than 15 years ago. Onsen is quite popular when we go skiing in Japan, apres ski is usually to go to onsen to loosen the muscle and feel relaxed.

待ち合わせの日、彼は最寄り駅にピックアップに現れた。一旦大きい荷物を家に降ろした後、すぐさま埼玉県の秩父に直行する。丸山鉱泉が目的地。彼は自転車乗りで、これまでそこへ自転車で行ってたらしい！ 温泉旅館にはしばらく行ってなかった。最後に行ったのは、15年以上も前に、島根の温泉旅館に友達と一緒にカニを楽しみに行ったくらいだ。日本では温泉はスキーに行くときには外せない。アフタースキーは温泉に行って筋肉をほぐし、リラックスする。

Living in Europe, I got to know many people that know somehow about Japan. Many of them cannot understand onsen, especially kon-yoku (bath for both man and woman together) to take bath without bathing suite. Actually the public bath got wall between men and women when European came to Japan and blamed for its public morals. And what happened in Europe after that? They enjoy sauna with both men and women completely naked while they still feel something odd with onsen in Japan. There are some people from other countries that find onsen very nice from the beginning and love it. My friend is one of such foreigners. In Japan there is a phrase Hadaka no tsukiai (friendship or relation ready to show them naked), to share the bath (they do not drain after taking bath, they wash their body out of bath tub) is the nearest way to get closer to Japanese people. In Taiwan there are onsens whose atmosphare is quite similar to the ones in Japan. I think I am quite open to anything but due to my appearance and cultural background as a Japanese, I would be sometimes blocked by others. Just to be friends might be easy but usually I cannot expect any further. I experienced that much enough in Europe until now.

ヨーロッパに住んでいると、日本のことを少し知っている人にも出会う。ほとんどは温泉、特に混浴について理解できない。実際日本の銭湯の女風呂と男風呂の壁がなくなったのは、日本にヨーロッパ人がやってきて風紀に問題があるとして付けさせたもの。それでヨーロッパはどうかといえば、日本の温泉がおかしいといいつつ、男女がまったくの裸でサウナを楽しんでいる。外国から来た人たちでも、最初から日本の温泉がいいものだと理解し好きになる人もいる。日本には裸の付き合いという言葉があるが、これが日本人に近づく一番早い方法だろう。台湾にも日本と同じような雰囲気の温泉があるようだ。自分自身なんにでもオープンなつもりだが、時々日本人としての外見や文化の違いで人から拒絶されることがある。ただの友達なら簡単だがそれ以上は期待できない。これまでにたくさんそんな経験をした。

Before having dinner, we went to take the bath. Sooo goood! I almost forgot how good onsen was! Then we enjoyed dinner in a huge tatami room for only four people, was wonderful dinner, talking about anything. We tried to compensate our memory gap, telling what happened after that from both sides. Returning to our common room, where our futon was already prepared as usual for onsen ryokan, we talked over wine and cheese. And it coninued when we again went out to take the second bath for the day. The Orion was so clear to see, sitting at outside bath looking up the sky with full of stars was wonderful.

夕食の前に温泉に浸かりに行くことにした。気持ちいい！温泉がどういうものだったか忘れていた。そしてたったの4人で大きな畳の間での食事。おいしい食べ物と会話を楽しんだ。互いの分断された時間の隙間を埋めるべく、お互いにその後何があったかを話し合う。温泉旅館では当たり前、すでに布団が用意されていた部屋に帰ってきてからもワインとチーズを楽しみながら、
その日2度目の入浴に行くまで話は続いた。オリオン座がはっきりと見える、星が一杯の空を見上げながら露天風呂に浸かるのはまったく最高だった。



Next morning, woke up at around 6, I went out again to take bath. Some people were already there. The weather was very fine and the sun is about to come out from the mountain. Watching the shade was slowly disappearing, I stayed in bath almost for an hour. My friend came to the bath after a half of an hour, he takes onsen as Japanese would do and knows what that is. The breakfast was typical one for a ryokan hotel at mountain side. Living in Japan and enjoying onsen and eating natto, he is not just a Canadian any more.

あくる朝、6時に起きてまた風呂を浴びに行った。もう数人の人が入っていた。とてもいい天気で太陽が山から顔を出すところだった。影が次第に小さくなっていくのを見ながらお風呂に1時間あまり居た。友人も30分ほどして降りてきた。彼は日本人と同じように銭湯に入り、それがどういうことなのか分かっている。朝食は典型的な山の幸。日本に住んで温泉と納豆を楽しむ。彼はもうただのカナダ人ではない。



I saw plum trees were in bloom even in January in Chichibu where it is usually cold. Watching plum for a while, I wished that I would be able to return to Japan in cherry blossom time for my next time.

普通は寒い1月の秩父で梅が咲いていた。それを眺めながら、次にくるときにはぜひ桜を見たいと思った。