Hot baths and the Sky Tree

After my adventures with the family, the Padawan and I took off on our own.

Hot springs
Japan has many hot springs. There are a great place to rest and relax and we went to Ooedo-Onsen, one of the popular hot springs in Tokyo.

Everyone has to wear a yukata (cotton kimono)



Luckily, there are instructions

Remember when you were young and your parents told you not to get a tattoo? Well, they were looking out for you as you wouldn’t be able to get into the hot springs.

The policy is intended to keep gangsters out of the baths

After you get into your yukata, you walk through a main room and then go into the bathing rooms, which are separated by gender. Then you get buck naked. You are provided with a small hand towel, but it quickly becomes soaked as you move around and it is only of marginal value for covering. Everyone starts by sitting on little stools with a personal, detachable shower head and then scrubs thoroughly. Then you can choose hot tubs of various temperatures including some inside and outside (don't worry, it's walled off) and make new friends.

Being there made me realize how self-conscious Americans are about nudity. Don’t get me wrong, seeing more genitalia than I’ve ever seen was not a highlight of the trip, but to a large extent it was only as weird and awkward as I made it. A lot of the Japanese guys came with their friends and for them it was just a relaxing thing to do with their buds like going to a sports game or to a bar.

I felt less self-conscious relative to when I went to hot baths three years ago because this place was more touristy so I was not literally the only white guy and being a naked pasty  6'5"-giant didn’t draw as many stares.

My favorite tradition is that right after people get out of the hot showers, they get dressed, chug milk and then go lie down on super comfortable chairs and take a nap in the relaxation room.

It felt too weird to take pictures where people buy milk in the dressing room
or of strangers' sleeping so here are clothed strangers eating in the food court.
They have tables for Westerners, but you can also sit on the floor.



All of the areas outside of the baths and dressing rooms are communal and
there are lots of places to buy food and drinks.

There is also a gaming center and inexplicable décor like pirates.

Stop! Hammertime!

 

Sky Tree

To continue my tall building tour of the world, I went to Tokyo’s tallest building, the Sky Tree. I had already been at the Tokyo tower, the second tallest building, three years ago, and I looked forward to scaling new heights.

 

Unfortunately, it was sold out. We did enjoy the bottom and there is a large mall next to the tower.