:If you don't believe the above statement, you have to at least give it a try.  Use this guide to find yourself a good '''onsen''' (温泉).

:If you don't believe the above statement, you have to at least give it a try.  Use this guide to find yourself a good '''onsen''' (温泉).

==Onsen Etiquette==

==The Onsen Experience==

The rules that govern how Japanese people make use of the hot springs their country is blessed with date back long into its history, and were pseudo-codified in the Edo era when bathhouses grew in popularity.

The rules that govern how Japanese people make use of the hot springs their country is blessed with date back long into its history, and were pseudo-codified in the Edo era when bathhouses grew in popularity.

*Everything else is optional.  Most decent-sized onsen have soap, shampoo, and often conditioner in the shower area for you to use, and there will generally be a basic set of cosmetics in the changing room for use after you get out of the bath, including hair dryers.  However many people will bring their own soap and extra cosmetics, often bringing them in a basket.

*Everything else is optional.  Most decent-sized onsen have soap, shampoo, and often conditioner in the shower area for you to use, and there will generally be a basic set of cosmetics in the changing room for use after you get out of the bath, including hair dryers.  However many people will bring their own soap and extra cosmetics, often bringing them in a basket.

===The Steps===

===Procedure and Etiquette===

Everything you have to do between entering the door and entering the bath.

Everything you have to do between entering the door and entering the bath.

#The first step is the easiest -- all onsen require you to take off your shoes at the door.

#The first step is the easiest -- all onsen require you to take off your shoes at the door.

[[Image:Rotemburo.jpg|350px|right|thumb|A picturesque outdoor bath at an onsen hotel in Wakayama]]

[[Image:Rotemburo.jpg|350px|right|thumb|A picturesque outdoor bath at an onsen hotel in Wakayama]]

*Almost any doctor in Japan will advise you not to get in a bath/onsen when you're sick, especially feeling a little sick.  '''If you're feeling you have a cold coming on, it's best to avoid the onsen''' as the air your body is exposed to when you first step out of the onsen -- relatively frigid compared to the bath you were just in -- will very likely worsen/speed up your illness.

*Almost any doctor in Japan will advise you not to get in a bath/onsen when you're sick, especially feeling a little sick.  '''If you're feeling you have a cold coming on, it's best to avoid the onsen''' as the air your body is exposed to when you first step out of the onsen -- relatively frigid compared to the bath you were just in -- will very likely worsen/speed up your illness.