About Japanese hot spring culture

Frequent crustal movements have created hot springs scattered all over Japan. From small islands on the sea to secret places in the mountains, there are bathing baths or various ornamental hot springs for beauty and fitness everywhere. According to relevant data, there are more than 2,6 hot springs and 75, hot spring hotels in Japan from north to south. It is reported that about 11 million people in Japan use hot springs every year, which is equivalent to the total population of Japan. Therefore, Japan has the reputation of "the kingdom of hot springs". Hot springs in Japan are not only numerous and varied, but also of high quality. There are famous hot springs almost everywhere. For the Japanese, soaking in hot springs is a kind of enjoyment and an indispensable part of life.

Japan is an island country with many volcanoes and earthquakes. Although it will suffer from natural disasters, it has also received a precious resource-hot springs. Japanese hot springs, which have gone through a thousand years' history, have not lost their charm because of time, but have become more tasteful with the accumulation of time. Hot springs everywhere are filled with a strong humanistic temperament. Soaking in hot springs in Japan is a special experience: it is best to choose outdoor hot springs, while enjoying the outdoor scenery, and some hot springs can even see the famous Mount Fuji in Japan. If you meet with heavy snow, it will be even more beautiful. Soak in the hot spring water of 43 degrees Celsius to watch the snowflakes dance wildly. From time to time, snowflakes fall in the hot spring, which is full of purity after romance. This feeling is rare in the world, like in heaven.

The Japanese hot spring hotel looks small from the outside, but there is a hole in it. The lobby is small and quaint, and it feels suddenly enlightened through the glass wall of the courtyard. Hotel owners and couples wearing traditional kimonos greeted them with smiles and sent them out. The dark square wood stood across the pond, quiet and beautiful. It is not only the hot springs that attract people, but also the exquisiteness of the hot spring hotel. Hot spring hotels are strewn at random, almost all of them are wooden buildings, and the lights are faintly coming out of the house. The warm texture of wood feels particularly "home" under the dim light. Especially in winter, "home" will feel hot, which is also a kind of texture revealed by many Japanese hot spring hotels.

It seems that a pilgrimage to purify the body and mind is just about to begin. The night is quiet, and there is no noise from the city around. Looking around, everything is like a silent movie, with only the movement of shadows and the faint smell of sulfur. At midnight, the hot spring hotel here is brightly lit, like a giant aquarium, and it is a "fish" with a blue and white tail. The "fish" who refuse to sleep come from all over the world; There are young people and old people. They are dressed in light blue bathrobes and covered with short dark blue jackets, and they shuttle between different baths in the hotel like fish. Few people talk, but occasionally people in the wine room are talking about things with a warm ear. People who "swim" on the wooden floor with slippers don't have the tense expression of metropolis residents, and the lines on their faces are soft and satisfied, which makes people think that the soothing mood of "dancing and singing back" after bathing must be so carefree.

When it comes to holidays, or family trips with wives, or the world of two sweet couples, or the sunset glow of an old couple, hot spring hotels of all sizes are packed. Even some foreign tour groups joined in, making the hot springs more lively. Rooms in the hotel are generally separated by barriers, and there are many living facilities in the house, which provide comfortable living space and four seasons food and drinks. Cuisine can be said to be the signature of the hotel, especially in the evening, local specialties, local dishes, Huaishi dishes, etc. will be prepared for you, which will make you feast your eyes.

Japanese history can be traced back to the rope pattern era (Japan's Neolithic age, named after the use of rope pattern pottery), and many fairy tales have also been ruined. Caojin Hot Spring was discovered in 1193; Although there is no correct discovery date of Youma Hot Spring, it is the oldest hot spring in Kansai according to the Records of Japan. As for Xialu Hot Spring, it has a history of thousands of years.

the legend of Japan. The origin of hot springs is probably that injured animals have recovered from washing hot springs, and the locals found it when they saw it. In addition to the legend of healing injured animals, Japanese hot springs are also related to gods or monks. For example, Caojin Hot Spring was discovered by Hangji monk; The Dingshanxi Hot Spring in Hokkaido was discovered by a Buddhist monk in the beautiful spring of Dingshan. Since then, both generals and literati have left many legends in hot spring resorts.

Because of this footprint, hot springs everywhere are filled with a strong humanistic temperament. There is a deep relationship between Youma Hot Springs and Toyotomi Hideyoshi. Toyotomi Hideyoshi visited here several times and built a special bathing place-Tangdianguan. Now, the ruins of the Tang Hall have been planned as the "Taige Tang Hall" (the official name of Toyotomi Hideyoshi is "Taige") exhibition hall, which is open for exhibition. The master of Japanese literature, Yasunari Kawabata, was deeply moved by Izu's emotional landscape and hot spring scenic spots, and wrote the famous work "Dancer of Izu" in the hot spring hotel. In the hotel named Tomotoku, the room where Yasunari Kawabata wrote and the narrow stairs he once climbed slowly are still preserved. Since then, Yasunari Kawabata has created the immortal masterpiece "Snow Country" on the stage of Tangze Hot Spring. Visitors can feel the tranquility of soaking in the snow from the words. Even Dr. Sun Yat-sen visited the hot springs in Hakone, and his lodging place became one of the proudest things for hotels.

Japan is different from many countries. From the Japanese hot spring culture, we can feel the exquisiteness and delicacy of Japanese life. Before entering the bath, wash your body outside the pool and enter the pool with a clean body; Don't bring towels into the hot spring pool. You can put towels beside the bath or fold them on your head. Do not wash your hair or body in the hot spring pool, and do not use soap or shampoo in the hot spring pool; Don't make noise, play, swim or run in the hot spring pool, but keep quiet. The temperature of the hot spring is neither too cold nor too hot. The best soaking time is 1 minutes. Japanese people like to take a bath before dinner, before going to bed and after getting up in the morning. All hotels have bathrobes, and it is not complicated to wear them correctly. If you wear them backwards, you will be misunderstood as having a funeral at home. It is said that this way of dressing is influenced by China's Confucianism. People in China think that "wearing a robe or kimono" is a barbarian country, and the Japanese inherit this idea. When wearing a bathrobe or kimono, the direction of the collar must be on their right hand side. If you still can't figure it out, remember the principle of "upper left".

The Japanese are very particular about it. "First, scoop water with a wooden spoon, about 5-2 scoops, soak in the bath for 3 minutes, get up and rest, and so on." In addition to the conventional soaking method, there are mud baths, sand baths and so on. In addition, the Japanese public bathroom is very big, that is, a big pool, and the dividing line between men and women is only one line.

people usually work hard, but in fact they are also a people who enjoy themselves very much. Take hot springs as an example. Japanese people soak in hot springs not just for bathing, but for developing them into a kind of cultural consumption. There is a famous "Zuohe Hot Spring" in the suburb of Sendai, north of Tokyo. Every weekend or holiday, Japanese people go there in droves to taste the hot Sendai wine and enjoy the attentive service of the bathing girl. Japanese people like hot springs for a reason. Different types of hot springs have different effects. Compared with the efficacy of hot spring recuperation and treatment, the mental decompression brought by "soaking in water" is the realm that people pursue. Japanese hot springs have both comfortable "internal soup" made of cypress and "outdoor wind" in the embrace of nature (that is, outdoor hot springs, which means "bathing" in Japanese). It is indeed a great enjoyment of life to enjoy the faint aroma of logs, or to enjoy the lakes and mountains, the spring flowers and the autumn fruits, and the snow.

For Japanese tourists, they will definitely go to hot springs when they travel to China. Hot spring culture has become an indispensable part of Japanese culture.