Funaoka Onsen

As I am continuing to discover Kyoto I have realized how fortunate I am that my house came with a bike. Kyoto is a detailed maze of narrow streets and side alleys where many of the oldest and best kept secrets are to be found. When the average tourist comes to Kyoto, they may be visiting for only a week or two if they are lucky and they likely have the standard list of recommended temples and gardens and places to see in Kyoto while they are here. Likely, they will be using buses or subways to get where they are going and driving right past many of the hidden gems in Kyoto.

As I’ve been exploring and getting lost on my bike, I regularly happen upon places I would have never discovered by way of public transportation. I’d have driven right past them. The first day when I arrived and took a taxi from the train station to what is now my home, I gave the driver the details I had been given in Japanese and even he could not find my house, as it was so tucked away in one of the many narrow side streets off the main path.

Tonight I went exploring once again and found another one of the gems of my trip thus far. Funaoka Onsen. Ever since my fascination with Japan began, I have been reading about the famous onsens or hot spring baths in Japan. Bathing is another one of Japan’s rituals and now I understand why. They have forest bathing, hot springs bathing, public bathing. I remember reading one book that said some Japanese bathe 3 times a day for mental and physical well-being.

I have been both intrigued and intimidated for some time by this idea of public baths. If you read up on the protocol and etiquette for onsens you will understand why. For starters, men and women are segregated off into two separate areas. Once there, you remove your shoes, as with everywhere else in Japan, then you proceed to the changing area. In the changing area, you find a locker and that’s where you leave everything behind and enter the hot springs area with nothing more…I mean nothing more… than what you came into this world with.

Now I’m pretty comfortable and confident with myself, but let’s just say that I’ve never been a huge fan of venturing into a community pool segregated to men only then baring it all while walking around as if I’m at the grocery store.

This is the Japanese onsen.

As I have now discovered after visiting other parts of the world, Europe and Japan being examples, being comfortable in your natural endowments is just really no big deal. It was never made a big deal and so seems to have always been a normal part of their culture, so it’s just not a big thing. I think in America, because of all of our cultural upbringing and stigmas and hangups about things that are essentially natural, we have made it a big deal. So all that to say, being American and being raised American, for me it was a bit of a big deal to take the leap into this new territory. But, when in Japan do as the Japanese do, right?

So, I put my big boy pants on…..or, I guess in this case you could say I took my big boy pants off…. and hit the hot springs.

The next step in the ritual is to shower before you are allowed into the bath. Why this is done by squatting and sitting on a bucket while you take your shower I have no idea, with your own soap and towel, by the way. It seems that many of the guests use this time to shave, trim nails and do various other cleanliness rituals I won’t go into here. The showers are brought in by way of the hot springs so it is quite a relaxing experience.

Next up, you have a room like a small waterpark of various options, hot, cold, electric, standing, sitting, sauna, etc. The highlight, however, is the natural hot bath outside in the middle of the Zen garden. This was worth the trip and the 500 yen admission. It is a very traditional Japanese bath with a fountain flowing into it and you find yourself out in the middle of nature under the moonlit sky. This was the ultimate Zen experience.

Overall, this was a memorable traditional Japanese experience and only about a mile by bike from my house. Some have actually said that Funaoka Onsen is the best traditional onsen in Kyoto. I would give it my vote for sure. For a mere 5 dollars, I will most definitely make this a weekly ritual.

Walking out into the cool, dark night after the late day rain and riding my bike back home through the quiet, empty streets against the cool breeze was like the perfect way to end the day.

Learn more about Funaoka Onsen here:

https://www.insidekyoto.com/funaoka-onsen