The ritual of drinking milk after Onsen bathing developed in Japan over fifty years ago, when the majority of the population were using Sento or Onsen facilities instead of home baths. After bathing, rehydration is not only necessary, but an enjoyable part of the Onsen experience.
Onsen-Hot spring
Bathing at a hot spring is one of the Japanese people's favorite ways to experience their culture. Milk vending machines are installed in the reception areas or locker rooms of hot spring facilities all over Japan. Drinking cold milk is one of the most relished after-bath activities of onsen goers.
Is Milk Popular in Japan? Fresh milk in Japan became popular over the coming decades as the Japanese dairy farming sector grew and families had more disposable income. Today millions of Japanese regularly drink milk. It's often sold in much smaller cartons than the large containers found in Western supermarkets.
Cautions after bathing
Wipe off moisture with a towel, and keep warm and take rest for about 30 minutes. (For people with sensitive skin, however, it's better to wash away Onsen ingredients with hot to avoid skin irritation(for instance, acid springs, sulfur spring, etc..) or the water is chlorinated as needed.
Rule #1: Wash before entering the onsen
Most Japanese onsen will have a shower area — in or just outside the bathing area — where you are required to wash your body. Entering an onsen with soap, dirt, or sweat on your body is unacceptable and grounds for dismissal from the spring.
How often do you take a bath? In Japan, most people take a bath every single day. Some people prefer a shower as it allows them to save water and time. However, taking a short shower is much more common than taking a bath in other countries.
Most people in Japan think of the bathtub as washing away not only their sweat and dirt from the day but their fatigue, too. so it is typically custom to take baths every night. Everyone can experience this part of Japanese culture by dipping into onsen (hot springs) and public baths.
Because milk was considered to be a good source of nutrients, it was believed to be an easy way to rehydrate the body after a long soak in the public bath.
For those opting for tampons, make sure that the string is not clearly visible and change it as soon as you leave the onsen. Wash yourself well and refrain from using another tampon right away — give yourself enough time to cool down first.
Firstly, don't stay in the onsen for too long - generally speaking 30-40 minutes total is enough time to reap the benefits of the mineral rich water and not overdo it. Take breaks when you need to by resting on the edge out of the heat of the water and if the onsen is especially hot, don't push yourself.
It's believed that Japanese people have only been consuming milk for about 150 years. It all began after the country opened its ports to the world and came into contact with Western culture. This is why about 90 percent of Japanese people are lactose intolerant now.
Asian populations tend to be lactose intolerant, making dairy products difficult to digest. But dairy foods are believed to promote faster growth and taller heights in children, which the government deems desirable. Many people can handle dairy foods, especially yogurt and other fermented varieties.
The Morinaga Milk arsenic poisoning incident occurred in 1955 in Japan and is believed to have resulted in the deaths of over 100 infants. The incident occurred when arsenic was inadvertently added to dried milk via the use of an industrial grade monosodium phosphate additive.
submerge your face or head, it is considered unclean. yell or speak loudly, onsen are for relaxing. run, the stone floors are usually slippery when wet. swim or splash around in the bath, no matter how tempting.
After bathing:
It is recommended that you do not shower after bathing in an onsen, as rinsing your body will weaken the minerals' healing effects.
Avoid bathing in an onsen in the following cases. If you have chronic bronchitis and fever or difficulty in breathing. If you have stable angina and chest pain becomes frequent. Bathing may cause serious problems with dehydration or thrombosis.
Most onsen will not tell you explicitly that you cannot use the bath on your period. Some people will enter the bath with a tampon, but the topic is often debated. If you're worried, maybe sit this one out.
However, if you are feeling healthy, you can also go to onsen during your period. Obviously, the problem is hygiene and safety, both towards others and towards ourselves! The only solution to immerse yourself in the onsen despite your period is to use the menstrual cup.
“Talking about menstruation used to be a taboo subject. But social recognition is changing,” said an official from a sanitary product maker that offers seminars on the issue. The topic is being broached more regularly due to organizations wanting to help women navigate their lives around their cycles.
Milk had already been established in Japan as a rich source of nutrients. And now that it was available at sento, it became the perfect way to rehydrate and replenish the body after bathing.
It's best not to eat before bathing in the onsen, but you need to drink a lot of water before and after your onsen bath. Keep your bath to a minimum. Staying too long may cause dehydration. While an onsen is relaxing and beneficial to your health, it's generally not a good idea to enter more than three times a day.
A combination of alcohol and onsen may cause blood circulation to become too efficient and place strain on your heart. There is also a possibility of cerebral anemia due to changes in blood pressure upon exiting the water.
Wear a towel on your head
On the topic of towels, it's common to see bathers with wet towels on their heads. This is to prevent dizziness caused by hot blood rushing into one's head when bathing in the warm waters.
To the Japanese, bathing is a process. You wash yourself before you get in the bath to cleanse your body of the day's dirt and grime. That's one of the main reasons why most Japanese people bathe at night, instead of in the morning.
Of course, whether it's in hot springs, sento, or their home bathtub, Japanese bathe at least once a day. As for how often Japanese go to onsen, that depends on the person. Beppu citizens sometimes go as many as three times a day. But no matter how many times we go, our relationship with onsen is unique and deep.