One thing Japan is famous for all over the world is its bathing culture – which is hard to believe if you ever had to spend some time on a rush hour train…
While surprisingly little of Japan’s vast coastline is used for swimming (due to pollution, rocky shores or cement tetrapods) there are three different main terms to describe Japanese baths:
furo (風呂): usually the polite form “ofuro” is used for this traditional wooden bathtub
onsen (温泉): hot spring, sometimes translated as spa, especially when part of a hotel, ryokan (Japanese inn) or minshuku (Japanese bed and breakfast)
sento (銭湯): communal bath house – onsen and ofuro can be part of a sento
The use of those three terms can be confusing at times. While (o)furo technically describes a bathtub (traditional ones made of wood, modern ones made of plastic) with steep sides of about 60 cm height used for a relaxing soak at 38°C to 42°C after (!) you cleaned yourself, it can also be used for the public bath at a gym – although those baths fit more what is describes by the term sento.
A sento is a communal bath with a locker room and a bathing area – gender separated! You get undressed and lock your clothes before you enter the tiles bathing area with a hand towel. Near the entrance you usually find small stools, buckets and faucets. There you sit down and clean yourself before you enter the bathtub, which can be tiled or wooden – and therefore resemble ofuro. (To see what not to do, watch the movie Mr. Baseball…) Modern sento also include small saunas similar to the ones you know from your home country.
Onsen are hot springs and the most famous part of the Japanese bathing culture. Indoor onsen look much like sento and their number is quite low – the vast majority and well-known to everybody even slightly interested in Japan are outdoor onsen, also known as roten-buro (露天風呂). The behavioral code at an onsen is pretty identical to the one at a sento – the main difference is that onsen are fed by natural hot springs, not by heated tap water; and that they are usually more luxurious and beautiful – dozens of countryside towns all over Japan are famous for their onsen resorts and a lot of places to stay charge several hundred bucks per person and night (including breakfast and dinner).
Personally I am not a big fan of ofuro, sento and onsen – mainly because the water is just way too hot for my taste. I’m sweating enough as it is in Japan thanks to the rather high humidity here. I really don’t need to soak myself in water that is higher than my body temperature. The other reason, to be honest with you, is the fact that you stick out there as a foreigner – and I am really tired of being stared at. It’s bad enough at the subway sometimes, even in a city like Osaka. Imagine you being the only foreigner in a countryside bath then… If I’d be the last man on earth and would show up in my birthday suit at the “World Congress of Nudist Nymphomaniacs” near a naturist beach of your choice – I couldn’t earn more stares that way! I get it, most Japanese men don’t have the opportunity to see a naked foreigner and they have an urge to find out if the cliché is true and everything is smaller in Japan, but come on! It’s really impolite…
(Fun fact: Most Japanese people don’t know that public bathes in Japan were mixed until the Meiji era (1868-1912) when the nation started to open to the west. Germany, especially the eastern part, has a long naturist tradition and when I tell Japanese friends that we have mixed nudist beaches and bathes in Germany they are totally shocked and claim that they would never go there since people must stare at each other all the time, which isn’t the case at all. Fact of the matter is that I get way more stares fully clothed on a train in Japan than naked at a beach in Germany…)
Exploration
The Meihan Health Land technically was an onsen since it was fed by a natural hot spring, but it lacked most of the idyllic countryside aesthetics that come to mind when hearing the term – it looked more like a western spa trying to copy some Japanese flair. Located right next to one of the few free of charge highways in Japan and at least 30 minutes away by foot from the next train station it was clearly targeting the masses – families and busses full of tourists; a gigantic parking lot of more than 20.000 square meters supports that claim. The building itself, constructed in 1987 during the Japanese asset price bubble, was about 5.700 square meters big – it seems like it was the first “super sento” in Japan (or at least one of the first) and quite a lot followed. The Health Land closed 2 decades later with a renewal open planned for July of 2008 or 2009, but now it is on sale for 430 million Yen (currently about 3.5 million Euros / 4.6 million Dollars) – a sum it might have been worth right after it was closed, but a mere 2 years later, during my visit in November of 2011, it was already in abysmal condition.
The regular entrance fee for adults was 1300 Yen with an additional surcharge of 1050 Yen for guests staying overnight – yes, the Health Land was a 24/7 facility, offering loungers for tired guests. And of course the usual services like restaurants, shops, karaoke, …
Located in the mountains of Mie prefecture the running expenses must have been insanely high (considering that there is much isolation, but hardly any insulation in Japan…) and I am not surprised at all that the Health Land went bankrupt. I am surprised though how fast it fell into disrepair. The few photos I saw before exploring the place myself made me expect a super sento in good condition. What I found when I arrived with my buddy Hamish was a shock. From the outside the building still looked amazing, easy to see from far away thanks to two gigantic Chinese dragons on the top of the roof. The huge red lantern in front of the Health Land had seen better days, but the full amount of damage the place had suffered was only visible after entering.
The yakiniku (grilled meat) restaurant in the same building was smashed to pieces and so was the lobby of the former spa. There the ceiling was high, maybe 5 or 6 meters – nevertheless it looked like it saw an outburst of violence with damage far beyond anything natural decay could do within a year or two. I have no idea what happened there. Some of the damage, especially the water on both 1F and 2F, could have been explained by the holes in the roof – but how did those holes get into the roof in the first place? The place really looked like as if a supernatural force ripped it apart…
Next to the lobby we found a snack bar and deeper into the darkness of the building was a staircase to 2F as well as the separated bathing areas for men and women, both severely vandalized. The steam room of the men’s area featured some neat female nude drawings – drawings that attracted some homeless people, or at least one person. We found some belongings there, including a newspaper barely 2 weeks old..
Sadly the whole area, for both men and women, was smashed beyond recognition. Windows were kicked in, mirrors were broken, metal installations were ripped apart. Carpets and wallpapers were moldy and water was dripping everywhere.
The upper floor was in even worse condition. The restaurant area was only recognizable due to some signs, the former party room with a stage looked like it was vandalized and abandoned a decade ago. Pretty much all interior was either gone or smashed. Water and mold everywhere. Not really a pleasant exploration, but you never know in advance what you’ll find…
Like that taxidermy bull in some kind of concrete storage underneath the Health Land. We were already ready to leave when we found that half-overgrown door that lead into the building again… and there it was, a stuffed bull, covered by what looked from the distance like an Ostfriesennerz (“East Frisian Mink”, a yellow hooded heavy-duty medium-length PVC rain coat – and you thought German terms were long!). Of course it wasn’t the famous German clothing item, just a simple tarp. Nevertheless a neat find that put smiles on our faces, before we walked to the next train station; wondering how the Health Land could get into that kind of state so quickly.
(If you don’t want to miss the latest article you can *follow Abandoned Kansai on Twitter* and *like this blog on Facebook* – and of course there is the *video channel on Youtube*…)
Stunning, thought-provoking photography. Excellent report.
Thanks a lot Alessandro!
Great post and I loved the photos! My favourite thing when I lived in Japan was going to the sento and trying out different ones to see how they looked. This post really resonated with me.
Thanks Diane! I hope your experiences were as good as David’s and not as… underwhelming… as mine.
Oh wow, that looks completely trashed. I’d be surprised if they find a buyer the way it looks!
I think it’s beyond repair and they would better level that thing. The problem with that is: At least the foundations are made of ferroconcrete – and those are the last buildings to be demolished in Japan, especially when there is nobody willing to pay for it…
Nice pics!
Cheers!
well written. and interesting perspective …abandoned!
Thanks a lot Brent!
Nice find! I’m somewhat of an urban explorer myself, but I specialize in sento and onsen. I’ve been to over 200 bathhouses, mostly in the Kansai area. I enjoyed your photos and the description of your exploration. I’ve been to many places that look like that, except they are still in operation! There a few comments and criticisms that I have about your take on bathing in Japan however.
Choosing to enjoy bathing in Japan is a personal one, for some the 41 degree baths can be too hot. There are options, mostly in supersento for cooler baths for example Nawate no Sato in Shijonawate. http://www.satonoyu.jp/nawate/index.html
The words: ofuro, ofuro-ya, sento, supersento, onsen, ryokan, health land, and rotenburo can get quite confusing. Trying to translate them for my own website gives me headaches. Unlike Kanto, use of the word “onsen” in Kansai does not actually mean there is a natural hot spring feeding into the baths; it only means “bathhouse.” The natural hot spring onsen is not only found in rural settings or in large hotels (e.g. ryokan) either. In fact, most of the onsen that I’ve bathed in are in the middle of the city in small bathhouses which are referred to as “sento.” Knowing which sento have spring water fed baths or not requires a little investigation. With that knowledge many bathers can find exquisite spring water for only 410 or less.
Mixed bathing is still alive in Japan mostly outside of Kansai. There’s a great free mixed bathing rotenburo at Misasa Onsen in Tottori Prefecture, for example. Sadly because the tradition is dying most men don’t have manners about it. See this post for more perspective from a women’s point of view. http://onsensoaker.blogspot.jp/2010/01/tips-to-avoid-wani-unpleasant.html
What bothered me the most about your post was the bigoted way you portray Japanese men.
“I get it, most Japanese men don’t have the opportunity to see a naked foreigner and they have an urge to find out if the cliché is true and everything is smaller in Japan (to answer your curiosity – it is…), but come on!”
I’ve been going to the bath 1~2 times a week for 8 years here in Japan all across the nation in rural and urban places and NO ONE has overtly inspected my penis to my knowledge. I’m a somewhat overweight hairy white guy so of course I stand out in the baths. Every once and a while people give me a second glance. Occasionally I get into fun and insightful conversations with the locals. More often than not people don’t even take notice. Over my 8 years of bathing in Japan I’ve seen a ton of penis–BIG and SMALL. A ton of guys have seen my penis too. I don’t let it bother me in the slightest. I would ask you to re-think your statement I quoted above and include your comments about people looking at you on the subway (That doesn’t happen to me either) and think maybe the problem is that you are too being a bit too self-conscious about living in Japan–to phrase it nicely. You don’t want the Japanese to stereotype you, so please, don’t stereotype them.
Keep up the good work and I look forward to seeing more of your photos.
David Kawabata
iloveyu.jp
Hi David,
Thanks a lot for your extensive explanations – you are clearly much more experienced regarding public bathing in Japan than I am. (I have only been to half a dozen different public bathes, including thousands of times the ofuro at my gym.) I know that there are a few mixed bathes left (for example Yubara Onsen), but I tried not to get into detail too much as the article is long enough as it is. Nevertheless you brought up a few points I didn’t know about and I am sure are as interesting to other readers as they were to me, so thanks a lot! (As for this location, maybe I should have mentioned that there were massages and other spa treatments available – I guess hence the name name Health Land…)
The thing about being stared at, naked or clothed… it seems to split the foreign community. I know people who never had to deal with it while others got annoyed by it from day 1. Both male and female, all shades of skin color. It’s probably just a matter of perception, like you said – which can either mean that you are better at ignoring it or that I am making a bigger deal out of it than it actually is; or that we actually get different amount of stares for whatever reason. Most of the time it actually doesn’t bother me and it didn’t at all for the first couple of years. In the end neither of us is a sociologist trying to paint an objective picture of Japan – we are regular guys writing about our own experiences in Japan. And those experiences can differ vastly depending on countless factors…
(It actually feels a bit like the security situation at *Nara Dreamland* – I ran into the guard both times during my first two visits, other people went there 5 times without even realizing that NDL has security. But they are as right when talking about their experiences as I am when talking about mine…)
Thank you for the reply. You are correct in saying that we all have different experiences, but I think it’s our attitude that shapes those experiences. You can easily think yourself into believing that you’re being watched. I had paranoia and anxiety issues where I felt the same way in my home town. Being in a foreign country has an effect on this, but it is by no means the cause. Whether you feel you’re being watched or not, my main concern was how you negatively and stereotypically phrased your comment about Japanese men observing your, assumingly bigger, penis. I found that to be unhelpful to the article, distasteful and almost entirely untrue.
Hey David,
So you really want to discuss Japanese penises? A small thing implied somewhere in the text (not even spelled out – for all we know I could have referred to pubic hair or hip bones or butts)? Really? Well, I actually don’t. Mainly because I’m sure that everything I would say would further upset you. And while I agree that my implication can be interpreted negatively (in case somebody thinks smaller equals less worth or less desirable), at least it can be statistically proven… (To the best of my knowledge.)
Again, I only write about what I see, hear and experience – and can research without having to study for months or years. But pretty much everything in Japan is smaller… people, apartments, portion sizes, birth rates – you name it; except life expectancy, that’s actually longer.
What I really don’t appreciate is you ascribing me paranoia. To paraphrase your own words: “I found that to be unhelpful to the comment, distasteful and entirely untrue.”
Sorry to imply that you were paranoid. I don’t believe you are. I was talking about myself to show how that even at home you could have the same feelings.
This is just sad. I am a big fan of Onsen/Sent/Spa and seeing this is just really sad.
Seeing this post makes me want to go back to Beppu and try the mud onsen again 🙂
As always, great shots.
Thanks a lot Mikaela! I hope you’ll get the chance to go back to Beppu. Wonderful area, I’ve been there in spring last year…
Crazy! I always think about exploring that place when I drive by but never had time to. Too bad about the deterioration but still interesting.
Hey Rory,
If you just want to have a quick look to see yourself what state the place is in I think you can explore the whole building in 15 to 20 minutes quite easily. Taking photos could take a couple of hours though… it’s a big place.
An interesting article about the subject. Thank you for sharing.
Thanks a lot for stopping by and leaving a comment.
First of all – hysterical! “everything’s smaller in Japan…” Ha!
Second of all – AWESOME SET!! This is the most visually interesting thing I’ve seen in a very long time. Super cool find!!
Thanks a lot! Your kind words came with perfect timing – they motivated me to go on a trip resulting is the current and the next blog posting.
Wow, it’s been completely destroyed! :O Nice article by the way!
By the way, I have my own blog which focuses on Asian culture and entertainment such as video games and I wonder if it is possible for you to view it and tell me what you think please: http://nynyonlinex.wordpress.com
Thanks a lot – it took me a while to write up that exploration, I just had to wait for an inspiration to tie everything together… 🙂