Welcome to Episode 13 of Real Japanese Talk with Haruka & Saki! 🗼🐙

In this episode, Saki shares another classic mishap from her foreign intern: at his first onsen in Hakone, he tried to jump straight into the bathtub like a pool — and an old man yelled "Wash your body first!" Then he tried to soak his towel in the water, and got scolded a SECOND time! "That ojisan is a god," he said in the end.

Haruka breaks down the 3 essential onsen rules every visitor to Japan needs to know: 湯船 (yubune, the shared bathtub), タトゥー (tattoos, often forbidden), and 体を洗う (washing your body BEFORE entering). Plus practical tips: how to find tattoo-friendly onsens, how to handle long hair, and the deep cultural philosophy of "shared space etiquette" that defines Japanese bathing.

Master these rules and you'll never get yelled at by an ojisan in a Japanese bathhouse again.

【Today's Vocabulary / 今日の言葉】

・湯船 (ゆぶね) - A large bathtub or soaking tub filled with hot water. The fundamental concept in Japan is that the yubune is "a shared space," so absolute rules apply: wash your body before entering, don't dip towels in the water, and tie up long hair.

・タトゥー (タトゥー) - A permanent design on the skin using ink. A loanword from English "tattoo." Many onsens and sento in Japan have a "no tattoos" policy, so visitors with tattoos should research "tattoo-friendly" facilities in advance, use cover-up stickers, or book private baths (kashikiri-buro).

・体を洗う (からだをあらう) - To clean your body using soap and shampoo. In Japanese bath culture, washing your body before entering the yubune is an absolute rule. Onsens and sento always have a 「洗い場」(washing area) with small stools, where you sit and use the shower with soap before entering the bath. This is the biggest difference from Western bathtub culture.

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