When in Tokyo.

Left: Mai and Eriko take me and Jo to a traditional Japanese bath house. Below: Mai and Eriko help me order lunch from the Japanese menu on the vending machine. Left: Eriko and Mai show me and Jo how to use the rental lockers. Do as the Japanese do. That means, when your new Japanese teammates invite you to a Japanese bath house you say, "Mochiron!" Or, "Of course!", Which is exactly what we said. Before coming to Japan we heard about Japanese bath houses, and we read about Japanese bath houses, but nothing really prepared us for the real life bath house experience. What follows below is my best attempt to share this experience with you. However, if you really want to know what a Japanese bath house is like, you 'll have to fly to Japan and go to one yourself. I assure you there is nothing like it, and it is worth experiencing firsthand. Picture a place where you pay money to share bath water with complete strangers. Then imagine yourself spending hour after hour in the bath with these same complete strangers. For a foreigner, it's not so easy to imagine. I will try to help you. First you walk in and ditch your shoes in lockers by the door. Since it's your first time, you didn't think to bring a towel, so you rent one. You are hungry, so you hit the vending machines to buy a meal ticket . You pick out the food you like, put in your money, and out pops your meal ticket. You bring the ticket to the counter, hand it to the lady who enters your order and gives you a buzzer to alert you when your food is ready. You grab a seat at a table because you are not accustomed to sitting cross-legged for an extended period of time and decline the traditional Japanese style tables and cushions on the floor. After you eat you head to the locker room. You rent another locker and stow your clothes inside. It is the last time you will need them until you are ready to leave the bath house. Now you are completely naked. Everyone else around you is completely naked. You are unfamiliar with proper bath etiquette, so you follow your Japanese friends closely, doing everything they do. You walk into the main bathing room. You rinse off in an open shower. You look down uncomfortably because you have always thought of nudity as a private matter. You don't want to embarrass yourself or anyone else, and you are feeling very shy. When you finish showering and it is time to get into the baths, you have no choice but to look around. There are many baths to choose from and people are walking all around you. It is the first time you notice your surroundings. You can see baths in every shape and size. There are women of every age, young women and old women, mothers and grandmothers, teenagers and children. On the other side, you imagine the men are doing the same thing. I don't know if you're doing a good job putting yourself in my shoes, but I have to admit it takes some getting used to. I'm a shy person, and hanging out naked with friends and strangers alike is not something I ever imagined doing. At first I felt awkward and wanted to cover up. Then I felt silly and wanted to laugh. Finally, I forgot I was naked, forgot everyone else was naked, and walked freely from bath to bath. Since I didn't know if I would ever have another chance to go to a Japanese bath house again, I made sure to try every bath the house had to offer, and there were many. I tried tubs of piping hot water, pools of freezing cold water, standing jacuzzi baths with jets on all sides, and seats and beds made from marble slabs where you could sit or lie down as water washed by you. Outside, yes I said outside, there were baths surrounded by trees with rocks for sitting on and waterfalls splashing into the pool around you. Not to mention, there were hot houses and saunas with TVs. You can bathe and bake all you want, and that's just what we did. We spent an hour and an half walking from tub to steam room and back again, relaxing in one setting until we desired another, jumping into the cold tub to cool off after overheating in the steam room or hot tub. We laughed and chatted the whole time, resting our tired muscles, and exchanging information about our native language and culture. It was picturesque and a day I will never forget. I walked out of the bath house that day feeling a little more Japanese. Now that I've had time to reflect, I have to admit it was one of the most interesting and liberating experiences I've ever had, and what was completely normal for my Japanese friends was utterly unique for me. We Americans are such forward thinkers. We enjoy our social, political, and religious freedom. We are excited by the latest fashion trends and the next big thing on the market. I love being American. However, if you get the chance to take a step back in time to experience this age old Japanese tradition, I truly recommend it. There is nothing like a Japanese bath house, and it is worth skipping the latest movie, or putting off downloading the newest big hit from Katy Perry. I hope one day you will have a chance to experience it firsthand.