Getting Naked With Japanese Grandmas
Saturday, October 27th, 2007The Japanese are dead serious about maintaining their cultural traditions. Traditions haven’t become heritage- they’re a part of daily life. There are actual women walking around in kimonos, albeit clutching a Gucci bag and chatting on a rhinestone-bedazzled cell phone.
A long held Japanese tradition are regular visits to onsens. Onsens are bath houses with different soaking tubs and saunas. We went to Fukaoka Onsen in Kyoto at 3pm on a Thursday. We rented a towel, bought a bar of soap, and walked through separate doorways marked for men and women.
Three steps inside I was surrounded by elderly women. Grandmas. And they were naked. I walked over to a locker and began to disrobe. Two sisters from Australia walked in, and we took care of introductions and formalities in the buff.
The Head Old Naked Lady showed us where to wash up. [read on]
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