When in Rome...

Who am I to break Japanese tradition, right?

Even though I felt dumb doing it, I put on my best face and squeezed into a yukata and geta for our visits to the local hot springs. The woman at our inn was finally able to find one that fit me, just in time too, as I was getting sick of hearing "sumo size" jokes...



So once you've wrapped yourself up in this get up, you're free to walk around Kinosaki and visit any of the 30 or so different indoor and outdoor hot springs you'll find in the area. The first one we visited had this cool cave that you could go into, but I much preferred the second one, which was an outdoor spring with a nice rock pool that was filled by this beautiful cascading waterfall that came down into it.

I kinda got the short end of the stick though as Mutsumi was with her mother and had someone to talk to as they went into the women's sides of the springs (yes, they are separated by sex), whereas I had to go in alone and get weird looks from Japanese men. I always find that a little unnerving, as they're not used to seeing foreigners in places like that to begin with... especially fat, fully nude ones!


Speaking of being naked, while I'm no prude, I do have a little bit of a hang-up about public nudity, so while many people choose to go commando under their yukata to make it easier to undress at the springs, I decided to wear a pair of shorts under mine as we walked around town deciding which ones to visit. Turns out it was a wise move, because after the first hot spring, we stopped off for a beer. There at the bar, my obi, that red belt that ties the yukata together, slipped loose and I was standing there open and exposed for all to see... luckily with shorts on. Phew! The last thing I needed on this trip was an indecent exposure charge.

Although given some of the more adult items she's been lending her likeness to these days, I bet Hello Kitty here was hoping for a peak...