Onsens and Raging Jungles

Yesterday i visited an Onsen with my friend Amanda. Spa World was having a promotion for their all day pass, and for just 1000 yen ($11.18 US) of course i'll go! They had everythinggg at this place. No need to bring towels, lotion, shampoo/conditioner, body wash, etc, everything is provided onsite. But just entering the place you can already tell the difference between New York and Japan. You purchase a ticket by the door from a machine instead of from a physical ticket vendor. Then you cant walk beyond a certain point without removing your shoes. The lockers actually give you back your money when youre done using them. And of course all the glorious nakedness the second you walk into the locker room.

The way spa world is arranged you'll never go into an onsen and see a member of the opposite sex, we're actually physically on different floors. This month the 6FL asian themed spa were for the women, the 4FL european theme for the guys, and next month it'll switch. Tattoos are really taboo here in Japan, theyre usually associated with organized crime or the yakuza, so you can imagine how hard it was for me to hide mine. I actually had a bandage on it at first but i accidently bought the medicated ones and was asked to remove them before i entered the water. After that i just had to walk around with a small towel around my shoulders and have my back face the wall of the spa whenever i got in the water. A bit irritating always having to be aware of how i'm standing but overall completely worth it because it's an experience i'll never have in the states. Amanda and i agreed to come back a few more times before the promotion is over ;D

Another thing i noticed about Japan, besides the tattoo hate, is the lack of shaving. I wondered why razors were so expensive here and now i know why. Very few people here actually shave. Its not to say none do but its not favored among the populace. The jungles were running amuck if you know what i mean. There was actually this one woman who had so much hair it went up to her belly ring, this is the first time i've ever heard of a woman with a happy trail. The icing on the cake was when she raised her arms to fix her hair...thats when i saw it. She actually had more armpit hair than my boyfriend, not to say he doesn't have any but it was really THAT bad.

But Japan isn't all about untamed forest, they actually have a lot of love for nail art. I actually got some done for myself ;] My one japanese'afied thing i have embraced at the moment.

We'll see what happens in the future with this lols. Its actually kind of awkward to type right now because i've never had such long nails before bit i'm sure i'll get used to it in a few days lolss. I guess this kinda kills my plans to join the aikido club. I also probably have to refigure how i go about doing my daily activities but that's ok ;D theyre so pretty and i might as well indulge in them now because i wont be able to survive with them in NY.

Tomorrow i'll be hitting the nightlife in Osaka, will keep you update :)

-Antonia