Mandi bogel di Hyotan Onsen

Salah satu dari aktiviti yang agak famous di musim winter di Jepun ni ialah mandi manda di Onsen. An onsen is a term for hot springs, and the term is often used to describe the bathing facilities and inns around the hot springs. As a volcanically active country, Japan has thousands of onsen scattered along its length and breadth. Onsen were traditionally used as public bathing places and today play a central role in directing Japanese domestic tourism.


Onsen are a central feature of Japanese tourism often found out in the countryside but there are a number of popular establishments still found within major cities. They are a major tourist attraction drawing Japanese couples, families or company groups who want to get away from the hectic life of the city to relax. Japanese often talk of the virtues of "naked communion" for breaking down barriers and getting to know people. *info from Wikipedia*

Dengan niat nak memanaskan badan di musim sejuk dan lansung takde niat nak tengok free show orang2 mandi nakedly, we headed to Beppu. Beppu is one of the most famous hot spring area in Japan. The city is blessed by as many as eight different springs i.e. Beppu, Kannawa, Myoban, Kankaiji, Hmawaki, Kame gawa, Horita and Shibaseki.

=- Hyotan Onsen, Kannawa, Beppu -=

We headed to Hyotan Onsen, Kannawa to enjoy the hot springs. The view of the steam rising from the many Kannawa hot springs was selected second, behind Mount Fuji, among the top hundred scenes of Japan the Japanese people most want to preserve into the 21st Century. Serius lawa, nampak asap hijau berkepul2 keluar waktu malam...tak caya, nah tengok gambar ni.

=- asap hijau berkepul2 -=

Hyotan Onsen operates from 9a.m - 1.00 a.m everyday. This public bath house offers regular indoor and outdoor hot water baths with "waterfalls" to massage your shoulders, steam baths and sand baths. Private baths and meals are also available.

• Outdoor Baths：Relax under the open sky.
• Hyotan Bath： This bath is shaped like a gourd, or “hyotan”.
• Steam Baths： These “Japanese Saunas” utilize the steam from hot springs.
• Waterfall Baths： Available for both men and women.
• Sand Bath ：Relax covered in sand heated by the steam of hot springs.
• Foot Bath (Free of Charge) ： This is for soaking your feet.

=- foot bath kat depan pintu masuk -=

The fees is 700yen for adult to use the public area pool. Tapi kalau ambik yang public pool tu, we have to go separate ways sebab lain2 pool untuk men and women. Plus, you have to get naked in order to enter the public pool...huhuhu. Thus, we opt for the private bath located next to parking lot which cost us 2000yen for 1 hour.

There are nine private baths to choose from, and we choose "Sennin". It is an open air pool, surrounded with high wall so bolehlah I nak mandi dengan riang ria dengan hubby & baby SN tanpa perlu risau pasal aurat. We arrive at the place around 5.30 p.m but we have to wait for our turn to enter the private bath at 7.10 p.m.

Design dalam Sennin ni is a traditional look for an Onsen with rocks macam kat air terjun gitu, and a pool separas peha I, cukup untuk berendam dengan selesa kat dalam tu.

=- depan pintu bilik "Sennin" -=


=- bajet2 tengah bertapa lah tu -=

Before entering Onsen, there are few rules & etiquette that we have to abide.

1. Disrobe and place all clothing in locker.
2. Use the restroom before bathing.
3. Speak softly and enjoy the relaxing atmosphere.
4. Also, please enter and exit the baths quietly and calmly.
5. Before entering the bath, please rinse your body with warm water.
6. To keep the water clean, please do not put your towel in the bath, or enter the bath with your towel wrapped around you.
7. Use soap only in the washing areas, not in the baths.
8. In order to keep the floor of the dressing room dry, dry yourself before leaving the bathing area.
9. Return stools and buckets to their original locations.

=- Nazhan buat stool dengan bucket macam main drum eheh -=

Daripada rules tu pun, dah boleh nampak yang orang2 Jepun ni memang datang Onsen untuk berehat. Sebab tu kena considerate pasal cleanliness dan juga noise level, which is good in a way that semua orang yang datang Onsen, dapat betul2 relax bila berendam dalam kolam air panas tu.

=- sessi bersiap sedia untuk berendam -=

Of course, sebelum mandi kitorang posing sedas dua dulu. Bila dah siap2 nak mandi, tak leh nak posing dah kan. Nak2 lagi sebab mandi bogel kan, takkan nak ambik gambar kottttt. Rosak kamera tu nanti ngeeeee.

=- asap dari mulut hubby kui3x -=


=- model kolam air panas yang koya sopan -=

Eh, takde lah..kami tak mandi secara bogel pun weh!. Cuma Nazhan je yang bogel kat pool tu, mommy & daddy tetap berpakaian sopan yang tidak menjolok mata walaupun kitorang kat private pool. Cuma Nazhan je yang get carried away with the tradition and decided to be naked when bathing inside the pool hik3x.

=- Nazhan dah ready nak berendam dalam kolam air panas -=

Bila dah siap mandi, it was already 8.30 p.m. We headed to Khaosan Beppu Spa Hostel; a New comfortable hostel in the heart of Beppu city. It is located in a quiet area in the center of Beppu just 8min from "Beppu" train station and 5 min from "Beppu kitahama" bus stop.

This hostel has no curfew, free internet with head sets for Skype, wireless internet access, shared kitchen and above all that is a big bath tub with water from a natural hot spring: which means it is such an incredible deal!!.

=- kitchen area -=

Therefore, kitorang memang tak lepaskan peluang sambung berendam air panas kat hotel ni pulak. Though it was actually a shared pool, tapi masa kitorang mandi tu awal2 pagi so tak de orang lain yang mandi. Dengan bestnya Nazhan & I berendam kat dalam kolam untuk orang perempuan tu. Hubby pun syok je berendam sorang2 kat pool untuk orang laki kat bilik sebelah.

=- shared pool untuk women -=

We rent a private tatami room with shower & toilet for 2800yen per adult. The place is clean and comfortable enough for the three of us. It has a double decker beds with lots of clean futons and clean bedsheets. Tapi kitorang tidur bertiga menyempit2 kat katil tingkat bawah tu je, sebab ... I takut tidur kat tempat baru. So I paksa hubby temankan I tidur sempit2 kat katil bawah tu hahahahaha. Lepas Subuh baru hubby dibenarkan naik tidur kat katil atas sorang2.

=- Nazhan nangis sebab mommy paksa suruh posing -=

Nazhan pun enjoy bukan main sebab dapat tengok Pocoyo while daddy was using the internet. Sibuk2 nak guna komputer jugak macam orang besar. Masa dady browse internet, dia sibuk2 tarik tangan Daddy untuk pasangkan kartun Pocoyo kat pc sebelah Daddy tu. Then dia duduk diam2 tengok kartun dengan mata tak berkelip.

= Nazhan & Pocoyo -=

I pulak syok duk layan tengok TV besar kat common room. All I can say is that, this hostel is worth the money spent for accommodation. Siap ada buku pasal travel tips all over the world lagi. The staffs can speak English fluently, and they were very helpful in giving suggestions and even providing free maps to visit other tourist spots in Beppu area.

=- travel books -=


=- TV room -=

Nanti next entry, I cerita pasal jalan2 kat sekitar Beppu pulak yang terkenal dengan Kolam Neraka. Tungggguuuuuuuuuuuuu next entry untuk segment Travel & Living di blog Yatie Chomeyl. Ja, matta ne!


Pssssstttt : walaupun orang Jepun mandi bogel di open-public Onsen, tapi kolam untuk lelaki & perempuan asing2, jadi sila jangan ber-otak kuning..harap maklum eheh.