From a Japanese perspective, together tub-time is good for family bonding. As children grow older, they'll start enjoying bath time separately. But the habit of sharing the splash can go till junior high or even high school. Japan has a long tradition of communal bathing with onsen and sento.
In general, the Japanese enjoy taking baths together, and there are different opportunities to do so. It can happen while staying at a hotel together, for example, where the bathroom has a big bathtub.
In most homes, families share the same bathwater. I know, it sounds gross when you think of Western bathing. But remember that in Japan, people wash before their baths, so they're clean when they go in. You're not bathing in someone else's dirty water.
Like an onsen or sento, it's expected that you shower completely before entering the ofuro, making it sanitary for multiple family members to enjoy the same bathwater. The order of bathers in a family signals a hierarchy - with the most senior family member enjoying the first bath and the hottest water.
For many in Japan, bathing is more than a bath. It is akin to a meditative practice - a time to renew, revive, relax, and cleanse the soul. Beyond cleansing the body, the bath is viewed as a time and place to wash away the cares and worries of the day.
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.
A low stool is often placed in the shower space and used when they wash body and hair. Why do Japanese people sit down when washing their bodies and hair? Sitting and washing is less likely to splash the soap form and water compare with standing and washing.
Many Japanese kids insist on taking a bath on their own by age 9, but even not you have the right to decide yes or no. Jenny, As suggested, it's very unusual for a parent in Japan to let 9 year olds or older people to bath with someone of the opposite genger even if it's her own grandfather. But it's up to you.
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. The bath water tends to be relatively hot, typically between 40 and 43 degrees.
There are two types of Japanese baths: public bathhouses (sento) and hot-spring baths (onsen). The difference is in how the water is heated, but we'll refer to both as baths since the basics as a bather are similar.
In general, I would say that by the age of 8 or 9 years-10 at the latest-most children have developed enough of a sense of personal boundaries and body space that they no longer want to shower with a parent or bathe with a sibling of the opposite sex. But Dr. Rosenblum's query raises broader issues.
In view of the fact that many Japanese bathe and wash their hair daily, it's essential that they take well care of it. Modern-day shampoos mostly have ingredients that strip the hair of its natural oils, for example, sulfates.
While this is a matter of discretion, experts suggest waiting for the child to be 6 or 7 years old at least before letting them experience bath time on their own. Just as you do, remember the goal is to make them appreciate and exercise control over their own body and not shame nudity.
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.
In Japan, you're not likely to see too much public smooching going on. As well as being reserved and modest by nature, most Japanese people also believe that drawing attention to oneself in public is bad manners.
As soon as children become aware of their own gender identity, and the physiological and biological changes their body will undergo, co-bathing should cease, Hafeez says. But then great care should be taken to educate kids on their bodies in a way that won't conflict with their sibling relationships.
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. But the habit of sharing the splash can go till junior high or even high school.
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.
To get to the point straight, the fact is many Japanese do NOT wash their hands after using the bathroom as well as many foreigners.
In many cultures, cosleeping is the norm until children are weaned, and some continue long after weaning. Japanese parents (or grandparents) often sleep in proximity with their children until they are teenagers, referring to this arrangement as a river - the mother is one bank, the father another, and the child ...
The kyōiku mama is a stereotyped figure in modern Japanese society portrayed as a mother who relentlessly drives her child to study, to the detriment of the child's social and physical development, and emotional well-being.
Supportive child discipline
With the help of their mother, they begin, for example, putting on or taking off their clothes, eating, self-toileting, and tooth-brushing. Children at this age often show interest in doing these tasks by themselves, and on such occasions, should be encouraged to complete them alone.
Why? Well, that's the way it is in Japan in traditional buildings and clearly it cuts down on installation cost. The idea is to just wash down your hand, not to do a proper hand wash with warm water and soap.
Given the way Japanese homes are built, there are several reasons for this preference. Unlike many places in the world, even larger homes with 3-4 bedrooms will still only have one sink, one toilet, and one bathing area. By separating the spaces they can be used simultaneously by different people.
The main reason toilets are not incorporated into the bathroom, however, is that the Japanese bathroom, which normally comprises an enclosed bathing area and a senmenjo — a chamber with a sink, a changing area and sometimes laundry facilities — is not very private.