Today I'll explain what an onsen is.
An onsen is a kind of bath. The water is based on the hot water of a natural hot spring.
In Japan there are so many vulcanically active areas so onsen are a common thing.
Onsen may only be called Onsen, when it's a natural spring, else this word may not be used for this kind of establishment.
You normally enter the onsen in a provided yukata (Kimono), at the entrance area you get off all your clothes (put them into provided baskets).
When entering the next room, you clean yourself first, and when this is finished you can get into the hot water.
Normally the onsen are devided by gender, or in a specific period only male or female are allowed if it cannot be separated.
There are some onsen, where males and females can take a bath together, these are called konyoku and are quite rare, women normally wear towels in those ones.
In huge "public" onsen like the Monogatari Onsen on Odaiba (Tokyo) where hundrets of people meet simultaneously, tattoos are not allowed.
That's all folks, see U soon!!!
