Families usually take baths in the evening before or after dinner. The bath water is often hot compared to Western standards. If you are not accustomed to the high temperature, please explain this to your host family and ask if you may add cold water to the bath.
While showers are a necessary part of everyday life, the Japanese don't just take showers, they love soaking in bathtubs. Most people in Japan think of the bathtub as washing away not only their sweat and dirt from the day but their fatigue, too. so it is typically custom to take baths every night.
To the Japanese, bathing is a process. You wash yourself before you get in the bath to cleanse your body of the day's dirt and grime. That's one of the main reasons why most Japanese people bathe at night, instead of in the morning.
Purpose of bathing
Many Japanese believe it also washes away the fatigue, hence a bath is taken often every night. On the other hand, Western people often take a bath only for the purpose of personal hygiene. Many people don't expect to spend a long time in the bath to relax.
It's a cultural thing. They instead shower and / or bathe in the evening. Bathing in the evening means that your body is clean before you go to bed (so your bedding also remains clean) - particularly important in Japanese summers, which are extremely hot and humid making it easy to spread germs and mould.
Rule #1: Wash before entering the onsen
Most Japanese onsen will have a shower area — in or just outside the bathing area — where you are required to wash your body. Entering an onsen with soap, dirt, or sweat on your body is unacceptable and grounds for dismissal from the spring.
The Japanese bath is for bathing purposes only, not for cleaning. Before entering the bath, wash with soap outside the bath and rinse all the soap off. Use the bath itself only for soaking and relaxing, much as you would take a hot tub. Families usually take baths in the evening before or after dinner.
Research suggests that whereas people in many parts of Europe and America now make do with just a shower nearly 90% of the time, in Japan between 70% and 80% of people still bathe in the traditional way at least several times a week. This rises to 90% or more in families with small children.
Wear a towel on your head
On the topic of towels, it's common to see bathers with wet towels on their heads. This is to prevent dizziness caused by hot blood rushing into one's head when bathing in the warm waters.
Yes, in Japan parents and children bath together fully naked. And that's culturally perfectly normal. From a Japanese perspective, together tub-time is good for family bonding. As children grow older, they'll start enjoying bath time separately.
In view of the fact that many Japanese bathe and wash their hair daily, it's essential that they take well care of it.
The frequency of bathing shall be at most 1-2 times per day, and when people get used to Onsen, they can enjoy 2-3 times per day. Duration of bathing depends on the temperatures of water, but generally it shall be around 3-10 minutes at one time, and can be extended to 15-20 minutes if you get used to it.
While there are obvious similarities between the two – they're both communal hot-water baths and visitors must adhere to certain rules of etiquette – there is one significant difference: onsen are filled with natural volcanic spring water, known for its rich and healing mineral content, while sento simply use heated ...
Most people in Japan tend to bathe at night. A morning bath is a rare thing and is usually done when vacationing at a ryokan (a traditional Japanese inn) or an onsen hot springs resort.
When bathing Japanese-style, you are supposed to first rinse your body outside the bath tub with the shower or a washbowl. Afterwards, you enter the tub, which is used for soaking only.
Now, drinking milk after visiting sento, taking a bath, or getting out of onsen is almost as if written into the Japanese DNA. Milk and bathing are as inseparable as beer and edamame or wine and cheese. So next time you are wondering what you should do after onsen, consider drinking a cold glass of milk.
According to Inazo Nitobe's book Bushido, the lives of the samurai warriors were ruled by 7 principles called Bushido. These 7 rules were Righteousness, Loyalty, Honor, Respect, Honesty, Courage and Consistency.
It's best not to eat before bathing in the onsen, but you need to drink a lot of water before and after your onsen bath. Keep your bath to a minimum. Staying too long may cause dehydration. While an onsen is relaxing and beneficial to your health, it's generally not a good idea to enter more than three times a day.
After bathing:
It is recommended that you do not shower after bathing in an onsen, as rinsing your body will weaken the minerals' healing effects.
Get moving—but listen to your body. Up until recently, the Japanese population often kickstarted their days with a series of calisthenic movements known as "Radio Taiso." Even though you'll mostly only see the elderly participating nowadays, this morning sweat ritual still reps all five pillars of ikigai.
Cleaning is a part of their daily routine which usually starts soon after the lunch break or at the end of the day. At many schools, each classroom has a container for cleaning tools such as brooms, buckets, cleaning rags, dustpans, and brushes.
From the most showered country in the world (Brazil) to the most commonly bathed country (the UK), we all have our preferences.
Before eating, Japanese people say "itadakimasu," a polite phrase meaning "I receive this food." This expresses thanks to whoever worked to prepare the food in the meal.
Onsen time varies from person to person– some people can spend up to an hour soaking in the hot water, others feel that a quick 10-minute dip is more than enough. Don't feel under pressure to stay in the onsen too long, or you could do yourself more harm than good.
Avoid Taking a Shower
When you take a bath or shower right after eating dinner, it causes a slight decrease in body temperature. It is advisable to wait at least 30 to 45 minutes after any meal before bathing. If possible, take a shower or bath before dinner and change into a light outfit.