The Mensans in Japan Mensans in Hot Water SIG third annual onsen trip report. (c) 1999 by Nick Miller
On October 10th and 11th, 1999 the MIHW SIG held their third annual onsen trip. The first event saw three members, back in 1997. At that time, Judith, Linda and Nick made it to the onsen. The second event the next year added the Kanuma City fall festival, a procession of Shinto related floats, hours of social excitement, and streets lined with vendors of everything from chocolate covered bananas and takoyaki (fried pastry covering bits of octopus) to yakisoba (fried noodles) and gyros. Of course, large quantities of beer and sake are needed to make it down the streets.
During the second year we had four people, Linda from the first year, Kay and Mariko as first timers, and, of course, me. Regrettably, Kay and Mariko did not take well to the long mountain bus trip, and turned back before the summit, so only Linda and I made it to dip in the hot water.
The third year the demographic changed! Aside from myself, both of the first two years sawall the members were young ladies, however this year it was 'just us guys.'
So, 1999 saw Jim, Michael, Takehito, and of course the ever present me. Jim was the first to arrive in town, traveling the farthest, all the way from Nagoya! Michael made it on a later train, and the three of us wandered around the main street festivities and visited Imamiya Jinja (Imamiya Shrine).
Of course we ate a variety of the food offerings and some of us drank some of the requisite beers.
No true Mensan gathering is complete without at least some talking. We all had our 2 mills worth (for those who don't know, a mill is 1/10 of a US cent, so this is the old idiom about having our two cents worth of conversational input... adjusted for inflation). Jim's exceptionally erudite explanations of language learning techniques especially with regards to listening practice, Michael's in-depth detailed elucidation of Macintosh software and systems, and of course my transcendent philosophy and cosmology on the human condition and ethics.
On Sunday morning we all hiked on down to the train station, and caught the express train to Kinugawa onsen station, where we caught the bus to the onsen. It was about a two hour ride, and we chatted and watched the scenery from the windows. Once we arrived we looked for our cycling member, and not finding him, we entered the onsen, where we did meet up. As I have been there many times before, I will have to say it was slightly more crowded than usual, even taking into account the fact that it was a three day holiday weekend (Sportsš Day) and a very beautiful, warm autumn day. I am not sure if they have been doing any targeted advertising, but they did have a brand new day visitor building, and it was a little surprising to see the change in demographic. Usually the entire age range is represented, but this time it was mostly young to middle age adults. There were a few kids, but I do not recall seeing many if any seniors. As usual, it was about two to one with more men.
Once we were clothed in our onsen-wear (for those without a clue, it is the ONE thing all humans have in common, our skin!), we took to the hot water. We sampled most of the baths, and some seemed to be a little hotter than usual. I think we spent the most time in the Daikokuten bath. Japanophiles may know that name as the kitchen god of wealth from the seven lucky gods of good fortune. After the swimming pool, which was already drained for the year, this is the widest and deepest bath. It leads to a small cave which has a small statue, about .6 or .7 meters (about 2 ft.). It is a statue of a, well, er, a phallic symbol! (Yes, while the name of the place may mean 'couple's cliff' (English lover's leap?), it is a family place. Hopefully the editor of this publication has seen fit to print at least one of the pictures from this bath.
After a few hours of getting our skin wrinkled, we went to the restaurant. As is my custom, I treat my guests to the specialty of the house... a plate of salamander tempura! This is the third group of Mensans to take me up on it (duh, what is it, never has a non-Mensan accepted my offer?) Of course, we also had other things to eat, a few of us (me included) had the ramen, or other dishes. Aside from one teetotaler and Takehito who was driving, two of us had the big mugs of beer. We conducted the interview, and afterwards returned to our respective towns, with a Monday holiday to recover from our exciting weekend. The interview follows:
the Interview:
We discussed the onsen as it regards to naturist culture, partly for the MIJ archives and partly for the American Mensa NaturisM SIG's final newsletter. Here are the comments of the members at lunch.
Nick: First of all who is a real naturist, whošs a real honest to god nudist?
Michael: You mean practicing as a lifestyle?
N: Practicing as a lifestyle, youšve been to nudist camps, nude beaches, take your clothes off go play volleyball, eat ramen, drink sake, swim at the beach and all that good stuff? Anybody?
M: Nope, not to that extent, like I said I prefer not to, I prefer to go without clothes when possible, but that's about it. The last time I was at a nude beach was a very long time ago over twenty years ah, a place on the western shore of Kauai.
N: Anybody else comment on that?
M: They didn't know, the guy that was leading us they. didn't tell us it was a nude beach until we got there actually. like, oh that thingšs a nude beach? Duh dun. I but that's another story.
Jim: my first experience at an onsen in Japan was a mixed bathing onsen up in Nobori-betsu and uh, I found it to be relaxing at that time I was probably the only gaijin there. Norboribetsu is a famous onsen resort in southern Hokkaido.
J: This was back in 1963 so there was still a very old fashioned relaxed atmosphere at the place. Now of course its mixed bathing is a much more publicly focused on phenomenon and its become very rare. Gaijin mentalities have permeated a lot of the thinking in Japan. To me it was much more natural then, frankly it was a better experience. I saw a lot more sensitivity here.
N: Here?
J: Here.
N: In what sense?
J: More so, more so than there.
M: You mean positive or negative sensitivity? In what sense do you...
J: Well in the sense they being nude. There (in Hokkaido) there everybody male and female, there was about 1/3 female and 1/2 to 2/3 male probably in the general group and there was also a separate section for females up there
M: But a separate wall?
J: No this was all indoors and there was a wall and they (a few of the females) were on one side but in the main section, there were several different pools all with both sexes.
J: and there was again a, one sense of modesty in the sense of using the towel
M: um hum
J: for male and female lower parts only
M: OK
J: When I say modesty it was in my, in my view it was other for other people's benefit
M: Hummm
J: They didn't want to offend anybody else.
M: OK. So I find it kind of odd to come to a place like this with concerns like that, but I guess you never know.
J: I mean that it is the phenomenon where you donšt see what you want to see. Bunraku. You can see what you want to see but you donšt have to. My view, my view of it at that time at least, ah, they didnšt make it too easy, but they didn't make it too difficult either. They just do what they want to do.
M: (inaudible).
J: Everybody seemed to be more oriented to what they were doing by themselves (inaudible).
N: Japanese view point?
Takehito: You know there are more than 2000 hot springs in Japan and every Japanese people love hot springs, and uh, naturally we love the hot water to dip the body. There are lots of hot springs, but also public baths - pay money to go to the bath, the sento.
(battery runs out... continue...)
T: So, I am not a naturalist, I am not nudist but there is huge places to show yourself in public. There is a lot of outdoor hot springs. That means, ah it is very hard to use the word nudist in Japan but we have already burned some emotions like that in other ways. That is, Open air onsen makes you feel free and relax, and that sense of freedom is already burned (sublimate) some potential emotions to undress. So, you can come into Japan?
N: So, OK any other comments on today experience from anybody? From those who have never been to an onsen those who have been to an onsen or whatever, any comments on today's experience? Any comments ?
At this point we diverged off on a talk about salamander tempura and natto... and then we wander off to the bus
* - Nick Miller is the current SIG coordinator for MIHW as well as the national principal coordinator for Mensans in Japan. He is currently hoping to leave Japan in the summer of 2001, after over 11 years here, move to someplace in the Czech Republic, and open a naturist facility (actually, the current plan is a Japanese style rotenburo with a restaurant and other recreational facilities!) there. While the exact time and destination are uncertain, by this time next year he hopes to be on his way.
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