Soy Milk Bath
Lake Ashi
Lake Ashi
I know that most people have heard of a milk bath, well how about a milk bath for Vegans, a soy milk bath. On the big island of Honshu in a place called Hakone there was a recent soy milk festival. I remember visiting Hakone back in 1989 when I was living on the volcano Mount Fuji, near Gotemba, Japan.
Hakone Tori Gate
Hakone Tori Gate
Hakone is a town located in Kanagawa prefecture that is situated on the eastern side of Hakone pass. Hakone has many onsen (Hot Bath) resort areas which are famous for that area. The volcanically active Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park, centered around Lake Ashi, is a popular tourist attraction well known for its onsen hot springs and its views of Mt. Fuji. Sights include the volcanically active Great Boiling Valley and Hakone Shrine nestled on the shore of the lake, as well as the Hakone Botanical Garden of Wetlands.
soy milk bath
soy milk bath
The Soy milk festival was held in the second week of October this year, and one of the attractions at the festival was a huge soy milk bath to enjoy. The soy milk bath (onsen) was located in Hakone Kowakien.
soy milk hot spring
soy milk hot spring
Milk baths are supposed to be good for the skin, but soy milk baths? Nonetheless, it looks like fun and would be something that I would probably try. Before I came to Japan I never took a bath, always opting for a shower instead, maybe due to the rushed societal customs. Since coming to Japan I never take showers and always take baths. The baths here are just a little different than baths in America, they are very deep and usually not long like the American counterpart.
Japanese style bath tub
Japanese style bath tub
Our bath is heated with kerosene, so you have to start heating the water about 15-20 minutes before you want to take a bath. Next step is to wash your body sitting on a small stool outside of the tub, you use a scoop to scoop up water from the tub to wet your body and then rinse off. After you are squeaky clean, then you get into the tub and soak for as long as you want.
The amount of time that I spend in the tub depends on how cold it is outside, how hot the water is, and how much time I have. Normally I like the tub water to be between 40c - 44c which is 104F - 111F, very hot. Taking a bath here in Hokkaido is a great way to get warm, normally when I finish taking a bath my body is all pink due to the hot water, but it feels great.
Hope I have shed some light on something that is uniquely Japan. Take Care all!
via: xorsyst
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Comments
hi charles!good day…
soy milk bath??hmmm…that’s sounds a little crazy huh…is that good for the skin??hmm..about the bathtub design of Japanese, it’s little but it so cute…does a human body is enough to fit on that stuff..??half i think..based on the picture you’ve shown..
but thanks anyway for the information about soy milk bath…I’m learning about the culture of other country!!!:)
Hi Charlie
Keeping warm so far?
I remember in 1976 coming back from my first year long stay in Japan, to my home in Spokane Washington.
I wanted to take a hot bath so I filled up my American bathtub.
As soon as I got into it, I immediately realized the total absurdity of its design.
If I put my legs under water, the top half of my body would be mostly out of the hot water.
If I slid my body down to the neck level in hot water, most of my legs would be out of the hot water.
If I filled the tub to a higher level, water would spill out onto a floor which had no drain leading away from it.
Who inviented this nonsense design???
The MUNCHKINS for the Wizard of OZ????
I mean, what is a bath tub for, anyway.
Norman D.
http://www.everythingjapan.net