Natalie Hanson Oedo-Onsen
As part of EPIC we had the opportunity to select activities that would give us a sense of the local people, culture and environment. A few of us chose to go to a traditional Japanese day spa, along with our local guides. I chose to visit Oedo-Onsen, which was very different from anything I had experienced in the past. Here we are in our kimonos, waiting for our adventures to begin:
From the locker room area we traveled out to a garden walkway:
It started out with stones!
There is actually a science to all this – the stones hit acupressure points in your feet, which should help you relax (eventually)!
And gradually feet get submerged and the stones get larger.
At the end of the walkway there was a little house with Doctor Fish. Visitors sit around the edge of a pool and put their feet into the water. The little fish eat all the dried skin off your feet and help to exfoliate them. It was definitely odd and first – and it tickles!
Later we made our way to the spa. The baths were divided by gender, and everyone was unabashedly naked. We did our best to follow the instructions:
Good thing I remembered to bring a change of clothes – I’m not sure they would have underwear in my size!
And then we wandered around the little shopping and eating area before heading home …
Once again appreciating the amazing public transportation system!
Natalie Hanson 