Kurokawa Onsen

Day eight of the field study (May 24) continued with an overnight stay at Kurokawa Onsen, located in the northern part of Kumamoto Prefecture. This hot springs village is among the best-known in the country and has fascinated me for over a decade. I felt it appropriate for us to eat a sumptuous meal and soak in hot springs, since we were nearing the end of our field study. Also, I'm sure the baths were especially welcoming to the students following their "cold" trip to Mt. Aso.

Since public bathing is not part of Singaporean culture, I am glad I delayed this experience until the end of the field study, when the participants felt more comfortable with each other. Given Singapore's body-conscious society, most of the students were incredibly self-conscious and hesitant to be seen by others, especially their friends. (One student joked that the best part of the body to cover with the tiny towel provided by the inn was her face, although she only thought this would be helpful when bathing with strangers.) Bathing is an essential aspect of understanding Japanese society - its unwritten rules, understandings, and expectations - so I felt it important for participants to at least have the opportunity to try it. I couldn't force anyone to bathe with others, but by bringing them to one of the most popular hot springs in Japan, I made the idea difficult to refuse.

Our bus dropped us in the middle of town at the tourist information center, which has brochures and maps for the village and all of its inns and related businesses, as well as some souvenirs. After exploring the center, I used a map to give everyone a layout of the land. I discussed the reputations and benefits of some of the hot springs, and I discussed the itinerary for the rest of the day. Half of the group decided to walk around the village, while the other half walked directly to the inn to explore the grounds and take their first baths.

Students walking around Kurokawa Onsen.

The most important item on the agenda was dinner, which began precisely at 6:00pm. Our inn serves dinner at 6:00, 6:30 or 7:00, but my experience working at several inns made me aware of the fact that it is always best for a large group to eat as early as possible. Since it takes more time to deliver and remove all of the dishes for a large group, they tend to take longer to complete the meal than a couple or a group of four friends. If a large group begins dinner at 7:00, it may not finish until 8:00 or 8:30 (or even 9:00), after which the staff has to clean a greater number of dishes, stretching closing time until 9:00 or later (sometimes 10:00). By starting at 6:00, a group has enough time to enjoy the meal without preventing staff from finishing work at a normal time (usually 8:30 or 9:00). This seems like an early dinner to many non-Japanese, but it makes sense within the context of the Japanese inn.

Like many Japanese guests to inns, all our participants wore their yukata (cotton robe) to dinner. This gave the dinner a special feeling, as if everyone came in costume or dressed special for the event. Dinner consisted of more than ten separate dishes, some with three or more items on each plate. Most of the dishes were seasonal, made of vegetables or roots or garnished with plants available in May. As one can imagine, dinner in the autumn is very different. Each new dish brought curious questions and camera flashes.

We left the meal incredibly satisfied, and afterward half the students left the inn, still wearing their yukatas, to soak in some neighboring baths. This is the real joy of Kurokawa, bath-hopping around the village to enjoy relaxing amid the trees and in the moonlight in outdoor baths (rotemburo). With presentations on the agenda for the next day, it turned into a late night, but everyone expressed satisfaction with sleeping on the thick futons after bathing in the hot springs.