This post was recovered from an old blog that I had while studying abroad in Japan. I’ve only updated misspellings or dead links, but left any cringe worthy things or immature thoughts. I’ve decided to leave them as a snapshot of who I was and to see how far I’ve come. Any photos have been freshly edited and so are not the same as what was originally posted. Over the years I had several blogs, most lost to time, and I wanted to recover some lost memories and reflect on my life.

he O-furo (お風呂) is a wonderful way to end the day in Japan. Even more so after all the walking one does while living in Tokyo. What better way than to relax your muscles and joints in VERY hot water and have a casual conversation with people around you. Plus it’s a good way to improve your Japanese.

My first bath in the dorm was a little embarrassing, for the first three seconds. As soon as my body slipped into the hot water and began to loosen, all troubles drifted away. I struck up a conversation with the Japanese student next to me, nothing more than a self introduction, some chit chat about school and day to day life. In America this would have been so awkward, or at least I picture that it would be. Yet I had no shame, what is there to be embarrassed about? Sure you don’t hang out with a bunch of other naked people all the time, but hell everyone is naked. It’s not as if everyone will stare at your crotch, if they did/do then THEY are the weird ones.

I now take a bath everyday and don’t know if I could survive all the walking without one. Even with the benefits of health and learning Japanese a fair number of the other exchange students don’t take baths. They must be fairly self conscious, or scared of the unknown. I would advise them and anyone who has the chance to at least try a public bath/onsen because there is nothing quite like it. Step into the world of the Japanese O-furo and let all worrisome matters melt off your mind.