I could really use an Onsen
January 16th, 2006
Typically one of the most difficult things to adjust to in Japanese culture is the Onsens, or public baths. Just as the name implies, the basic idea is going to a public bath house.
A gai-jin’s (foreigner’s) first (couple) experiances with an Onsen can be quite tramautic. Well…mine was anyway. …it was during a week-long school trip to the south of Japan, and my classmates and I were required to use the Onsen (which is to say forbidden from using the showers in the hotel rooms). For the Japanese students in the class (everyone but me) this was no big deal. But I was a little un-easy: Get naked, get clean (which is to say wash yourself in the very open concept shower section with little stools for everyone, and showerheads placed about 4 feet apart from each other), hop into swimming-pool-sized-hot-tub thingy with all female classmates….hmmmm (to all the guys reading this: don’t get too excited, you’d have been with the guys).
None of my fellow classmates seemed to think much of it though, so I just went along with what everyone was doing and tried not to get too stressed out. (…imagine though, the predicament of trying to fit in and make sure you’re doing what everyone else is doing (and therefore needing to look at them), while simultaneously trying not to look at them (do to their nakedness) *sigh*). …anyway, once you’ve had an experiance or two with an Onsen, and the novelty wears off, the whole thing really grows on you. It’s just so relaxing and peaceful, and liberating in an odd way (to those raised in notably prudish western cultures).
I remember just before coming home to Canada, my host father, some friends of his and I climbed Mount Fuji. …It’s not really a difficult mountain to climb (it’s basically a glorified hike), but it does take a while, and after going straight up, and straight back down in under 24 hours your body is really feeling it. Directly after coming back down the mountain we headed to an Onsen. Given that I was the only female on the expedition, I was alone in the women’s section of the public baths (which is to say I didn’t know anyone, and noone approached me or spoke to me at all (partially because you don’t do that…but probably partially because I was a gaijin, and sometimes it’s just best to ignore them 
)). It was so gloriously beautifully relaxing. Sitting there soaking in water from natural springs, at the base of Fuji…*sigh*.
…relevance to today? I took a month off yoga and today was my second day back. My body is killing me. It feels good to be using muscles again, but to use them so intensely, and then step out into the frigid Canadian winter….it just doesn’t make the muscles happy. ….I really really would love to visit an Onsen. …something tells me we don’t have one in downtown Toronto though(…or that if we did, I wouldn’t like to be caught naked amongst those frequenting it)!
Ah well.
p.s. still torn about NDP vs. Green. …Conservatives are ahead in the poles. …if we have a Conservative government I’d be all over some NDP seats to even the scales out a bit. …and I really like Olivia Chow (who happens to be running in my riding). ….but I’m all for the Green philosophy, and feel it’s important to get their percentages up so people start taking them seriously. Thoughts?
15 Comments Add your own
1. | January 17th, 2006 at 7:00 pm
I’ll admit I’m not as up on politics as I should be, but I’m having the hardest time deciding about voting as well. Stephen Harper is psychotic and being a huge supporter of gay marriage I certainly won’t be voting for someone who’ll bring that issue up again. In 12 years Canada has not really lived up to its full potential and I do think it’s time for a change. The Liberals won’t get my vote either. Which leaves the NDP and the Green Party. Layton seems like a decent guy and while I don’t like the NDP platform against the free market, I do agree with a lot of their opinions. Like you, I am all for the Green Party’s philosophy…but I’m worried I’d just be wasting (maybe wasting’s not the right word) my vote. I am torn, lol.
2. | January 17th, 2006 at 8:01 pm
i’d say i’m with you almost 100% Michelle. i’m not exactly anti-liberal or anything, but it doesn’t make for a healthy democracy to have the same party in power for 12 years…the country (’s government) definately needs a bit of a shakeup.
…the other day someone was talking about Pierre Trudeau on the radio and i got all excited and my (American) roommate said something to the effect of “it’s bizarre how you all have crushes on him…still”. ….but really: of course we do. he’s the only prime minister we’ve ever had who really had charisma and made something of the position. …*sigh*
…anyway. …ya, i really can’t decide if voting green is a waste or not. ….it’s definately what i really believe in…but since when is politics about what people really believe in? …(I’m all for what they’ve started out in BC for provincial elections where you actually rank the candidates. …that way voting ‘Green’ wouldn’t be such a waste, because you’d place NDP second…..it actually takes into account how you view all the parties instead of being almost hit-or-miss. …Very hard to tally though. …ah well)
3. | January 18th, 2006 at 12:09 pm
um yes, politics are such an akward thing…my roomate got paid 20 bucks by her dad to vote conservative…after i considered offering my vote for 20 bucks..i decided, it takes alot more than twenty bucks to buy my vote….i personally want to vote for the green party, because even if they get a tiny bit more support, people will start considering the environment more often, which is all we can really ask…besides…it would take at LEAST 30 to buy my vote….
4. | January 18th, 2006 at 12:13 pm
wow!…parents paying kids to vote a certain way?! ….that is super sketchy. …..definately hurts my heart a little bit.
*sigh*
anyway. …yep. support for the green is it i’m thinking (then sit back and watch the tories and the bloc run the country for four years….that’ll be fun *coughcough*…ah well) …
5. | January 18th, 2006 at 4:42 pm
Welcome back…as for the parents paying for votes, that’s only slightly worse than voting strategically. Democracy would reach new heights (or at least come closer to the theory of it) if people would just vote for who they believed in and most wanted to see in power, regardless of whether they actually stood a chance of gaining said power. Its actually ridiculous how many votes the NDP (my second choice as well by the way) would get if people weren’t so frightened of either of the big two getting in. Also, how can you consider a vote for the greens a waste…if anything one vote for the greens is less of a waste when you consider the fact that they would get $1.75 towards their next years campagne. And I’m guessing $1.75 would mean so much more to a promising young start-up party than the liberals or conservatives who get thousands for their campagnes from big business. Not to mention the added bonus of recognition. If the big parties see growing support for the green party, I’m guessing they’ll soon be altering their own platforms accordingly which could only be a good thing. I’m sure there’s many other good reasons but I’ll leave you with this: You get to feel good about not caving to the whims of others and know that you’re actually making some kind of contribution towards a better world, no matter how small.
6. | January 18th, 2006 at 4:57 pm
remember a while back when you thanked me for putting into words an argument that you believed in but hadn’t successfully expressed? ….this is definately you paying me back. …I agree 100%.
(…but my inability to express it/grasp it was giving me doubts)
..you rock
7. | January 19th, 2006 at 7:42 am
Okay i’m leaving another comment, yes, i visit this site daily to answer your question. Well, i’m not voting for the green party anymore. And i’ll tell you why. You may not agree with this reason, but hell, why not. As you are all aware, i work at lululemon, and to help support the green party, we were planning a window with manniquins from all the parties, and we were playing up the green party one (lululemon is obsessed with the environment and the affect retail has on it) So after we had visited all of our local candiates, and received singage from all of them, we were ready to get the green party stuff, and the guy running refused to have any part of it! We tried to tell him that our store was in full support of the green party (as are all lulu locations) but he woudln’t listen to us, and was extremely rude. Now, this may not seems like a good reason to vote for an entire party becaue one person was rude, but i would feel like a hypocrite if i voted from someone i hated, and treated me and my merchandising team like crap. I’m not saying don’t vote green, but vote for who you respect!
8. | January 19th, 2006 at 9:45 am
hugely valid. …that is something that frustrates me about our system…there may be a party you believe in that you want to support, but your vote is only (directly) relevant to the candidates in your riding. …In the last election I remember being particularly frustrated because I was in this brand new riding that surrounded the outskirts of Guelph (official riding-of-the-sticks, it would seem), and the best thing most of my candidates had to talk about was which hockey teams they had coached. …..not exactly impressive.
anyway very sad that that guy was rude to you. ….i could maybe see how he could be under the impression that corporate support wasn’t good for their image or something…but that implies to me that he probably doesn’t know a tonne about lululemon, and either way he still shouldn’t have been rude!. …bloody hell.
9. | January 19th, 2006 at 7:41 pm
Well, I already voted, so that makes my decision easier (being that I’ve arleady made it and officially committed to it), but I can understand your hesitation.
My vote for NDP was an easy one for a few reasons:
(1) I like Olivia Chow, so I’d like to see her speaking for my riding.
(2) Though the Green Party has some nice philosophies, I do worry about taking votes away from the NDP given that the race in our riding truly is between NDP and Liberal (though, of course, this is only because we make it that way). I do admit this is a very ingrained American way of operating–we’re used the idea of voting for the lesser of two evils. (Fortunately, Olivia Chow isn’t evil.)
(3) Liberals aren’t impressing me and the Tories are…um, I don’t think it’s polite to use explicatives on someone else’s blog.
As for the public showers, you can get part of that experience at the AC. There are *some* shower stalls, but most of it is open concept and all of it is naked. Just don’t jump in the pool naked–even during women’s hours. They don’t seem to like that…well, heterosexual men not withstanding.
10. | January 19th, 2006 at 9:09 pm
hehehe! ….it’s definately the soaking in the bath part that is enjoyable…but thanks for the tip(s)!
…with you on the Tories. …with you on the liberals. …Olivia Chow is cool. *sigh*
I hate politics :P.
11. | February 3rd, 2006 at 4:25 pm
The Green Party is only further dividing Canada’s left and making it even easier for Stephen Harper and the Conservatives to win ridings. The differences between the Green Party and the NDP are actually quite small and I’ve actually heard arguments sugguesting the NDP are actually even “greener” than the Green Party themselves.
I’m not sure if its just the “individualism” concept that seems to come along side the “leftist” culture, but the fact that the Green Party even exists is a mistake. If the Green Party and its supporters care about Canada, and they care about what they believe in, than they will stop splitting votes among the left and join the much superior NDP.
Even in this election (and I know this response is after the actual vote however…), the NDP lost a bunch of close ridings that may have actually been won had the Green Party and NDP joined forces.
Canada is now under the leadership of Conservative government and that was made only possible by the merging of the former PC and Alliance parties. If the NDP and Green Party, but moreso - the Canadian left hope to make a significant difference in this country than they will merge.
In the future I urge everyone to think before you vote Green, you’re throwing away your vote and further dividing the votes among the parties that essentially stand for the same thing; what you believe in.
12. | February 3rd, 2006 at 4:40 pm
Well formed argument, probably even a valid argument…but it breaks my heart a little wee bit. I don’t for the life of me (and maybe someone who studies political science could explain it…) understand why we can’t vote in such a way that ranks our choices. (ie. I could put: Green, NDP, Liberal, Marajuana, Conservative for example) Wouldn’t that allow a more complete (and honest) picture of what Canadians (left or right) really want for their country?
In the end I voted NDP, because I knew Olivia Chow stood for and would fight for alot of things I consider to be important in Canada and in the city of Toronto. ….but my sentiments are still with the Green party. I want to see the whole country shaken up and run a completely differant way. …..and I don’t think it’s right that our voting system doesn’t allow me to voice that in any meaningful way.
13. | February 8th, 2006 at 11:50 pm
Hi Padg, long long long time no see… it’s Ben (from Warabi). How are ya??? I remember that trip, is all I really wanted to say… it was great.
As for me, I’ve finally got myself a girlfriend, Mel (a fellow Japanese-speaker). We’re in love… it’s nice…
I’ve changed alot and yet in so many ways remain the same. My life got a bit screwed up last year, I’m on anti-depressants (I note your opinion about them from earlier posting!) and nicotine patches (stupid me for starting that habit) after sinking into a terrible rut of depression… nearly became a certifiable pothead too before I got myself out of that little spiral. Hmm… chemicals in bodies? I know a bit about that.
Nice to see you have a healthier attitude than me!! Hehe
I’m doing Political Science and Islamic Studies at the Uni of Queensland, Brisbane, Aust. It’s going pretty well. We’re studying pretty similar stuff, really, apart from psych.
It’d be nice to hear from you. Sorry for –long– comment when I could have emailed!! And a note on my URL - haven’t updated my blog in ages. Really need to get onto that now I’ve pulled my life back together!!!
Seeya
Ben
14. | February 9th, 2006 at 8:31 am
One other thing — there is no reason why Canada shouldn’t have a preferential voting system, otherwise known as the Alternate Vote (AV) system, apart from lack of political will and the idea not being widely discussed. Australia votes this way already! For example, last federal election I voted 1. Labor, 2. Greens, 3. Liberal Party, 4. One Nation (I am a Labor party member, Greens are the same as Canada’s, Liberals here are same as your conservatives, go figure!!, and One Nation is a nasty racist party).
Ciao
Ben
15. | March 12th, 2006 at 8:50 am
super site i like these kinda of articles
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