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Ebisu-yu, Kurashiki
After my mammoth ride through Shikoku (mammoth for me anyway) I ventured to Kurashiki for a one night stay in this historic town. This was my first visit and I was not disappointed. Kurashiki really is very charming and would definitely make an enjoyable one or even two night stay on any Japan holiday itinerary. However, the purpose of this blog section is not to talk about sightseeing but about baths.
On this occasion I was staying at the Hotel Resol (previously Grand Hotel 330), close to the old town district (although in Kurashiki everything is pretty close to the old town district). Being a Japanese bath addict and not wishing to break my run of 8 consecutive days of Japanese bathing I asked at the front desk if an onsen or sento was to be found in the local area. The girl seemed somewhat surprised by request and after a length study of the map identified Ebisu-yu. She estimated 15 minutes walk; I thought more like 5.
After a slight detour round the local elementary school playing field I eventually found the entrance to the sento. It was immediately apparent this is an authentic local bath house with a long history. So I ducked in through the “yu” noren and stepped back in time to an era when bath houses like this were to be found in every neighbourhood in Japan and the sento was a part of daily life and a chance to catch up on all the neighbourhood gossip.
Ebisu-yu is unique. Many of the fittings are original dating back some 130 years: The wooden lockers, tiny outdoor toilet (with modern era plumbing I hasten to add!), the stone bath tub. Even the oba-san taking the money is pretty original – she told me she had been working there for 40 years, and her mother for 40 years before that. And before that… her mother’s mother. And before that… she didn’t know! The changing room is small and adorned with rather scary looking devices; the massage chair which looks more like some kind of torture device; a mechanical rubber band the use of which I could not figure out; an ancient set of weighing scales (still accurate it seemed).
The bath room itself is very simple: To the right, a set of taps serving up scolding hot water and regular cold mains water. To the left, the stone bath tub, as old as the bath house itself and according to the oba-san, the only one of its type in Okayama Prefecture. You won’t find any showers here – just plastic tubs to fill with water and pour over yourself whilst sitting upon really very small plastic stools. The water is searing hot and even for an old hand like myself more than 5 minutes at a time was too much.
I was joined in the bath by three other guys. Two on holiday from Tokyo and one a local who had moved back to Kurashiki from Tokyo after the death of his mother and set up a small café and coffee shop in town – 64:8*8. The businessmen from Tokyo found it impossible to believe that in the UK we don’t have sento and onsen (with the exception of posh establishments like the Bath Spa, constructed at vast expense and at an ongoing cost to the Bath tax payer). If only we did!! I would be a happier man.
So after an hour or so of chat and extra hot bathing, I towelled off, put my jeans and shirt back on, had a drink of soda and stepped back out through the curtains into the real world – Another fabulous bath house experience and another demonstration of what the Japanese call “Hadaka no tomodachi”, or naked kinship. If you ever find yourself in Kurashiki, go and check this place out. It might be a relic of the past but for me, this is Japanese bathing culture at its best.
Monday 19th October – Ebisu-yu, Kurashiki
After my mammoth ride through Shikoku (mammoth for me anyway) I ventured to Kurashiki for a one night stay in this historic town. This was my first visit and I was not disappointed. Kurashiki really is very charming and would definitely make an enjoyable one or even two night stay on any Japan holiday itinerary. However, the purpose of this blog section is not to talk about sightseeing but about baths.
On this occasion I was staying at the Hotel Rasul (previously Grand Hotel 330), close to the old town district (although in Kurashiki everything is pretty close to the old town district). Being a Japanese bath addict and not wishing to break my run of 8 consecutive days of Japanese bathing I asked at the front desk if an onsen or sento was to be found in the local area. The girl seemed somewhat surprised by request and after a length study of the map identified Ebisu-yu. She estimated 15 minutes walk; I thought more like 5.
After a slight detour round the local elementary school playing field I eventually found the entrance to the sento. It was immediately apparent this is an authentic local bath house with a long history. So I ducked in through the “yu” noren and stepped back in time to an era when bath houses like this were to be found in every neighbourhood in Japan and the sento was a part of daily life and a chance to catch up on all the neighbourhood gossip.
Ebisu-yu is unique. Many of the fittings are original dating back some 130 years: The wooden lockers, tiny outdoor toilet (with modern era plumbing I hasten to add!), the stone bath tub. Even the oba-san taking the money is pretty original – she told me she had been working there for 40 years, and her mother for 40 years before that. And before that… her mother’s mother. And before that… she didn’t know! The changing room is small and adorned with rather scary looking devices; the massage chair which looks more like some kind of torture device; a mechanical rubber band the use of which I could not figure out; an ancient set of weighing scales (still accurate it seemed). The bath room itself is very simple: To the right, a set of taps serving up scolding hot water and regular cold mains water. To the left, the stone bath tub, as old as the bath house itself and according to the oba-san, the only one of its type in Okayama Prefecture. You won’t find any showers here – just wooden tubs to fill with water and pour over yourself whilst sitting upon really very small wooden or plastic stools. The water is searing hot and even for an old hand like myself more than 5 minutes at a time was too much.
I was joined in the bath by three other guys. Two on holiday from Tokyo and one a local who had moved back to Kurashiki from Tokyo after the death of his mother and set up a small café and coffee shop in town – 64:8*8. The businessmen from Tokyo found it impossible to believe that in the UK we don’t have sento and onsen (with the exception of posh establishments like the Bath Spa, constructed at vast expense and at an ongoing cost to the Bath tax payer). If only we did!! I would be a happier man.
So after an hour or so of chat and extra hot bathing, I towelled off, put my jeans and shirt back on, had a drink of soda and stepped back out through the curtains into the real world – Another fabulous bath house experience and another demonstration of what the Japanese call “Hadaka no tomodachi”, or naked kinship. If you ever find yourself in Kurashiki, go and check this place out. It might be a relic of the past but for me, this is Japanese bathing culture at its best.