Japanese Culture: Taking a Bath There are a whole bunch of different hot springs thanks to presence of many volcanoes in Japan. According to the Hot Spring Law, there are 18 types of minerals in Spring quality and depending on contained ingredients, there are a variety of hot springs in terms of color, smell and health benefits. Open-air hot springs set in nature are highly popular because people wash themselves, cure their disease, promote their health, and can enjoy the beautiful nature, the seasons and the weather all at the same time. Japanese people usually take a bath before going to bed every night. Most people put bath salts into the bath to enjoy comfortable bathing. Bathing is not only cleaning their body but also refreshing the mind and soul toward the next day. In a home where there are young children, parents put the Japanese syllable table or the multiplication table on a wall in a bath room and they spend hours in the bath to make their children memorize that. Some women soak in the bath relatively long to sweat out toxins from their body and improve their skin conditions. I usually take a shower every morning and get ready for work. I also take a shower after running every evening. I enjoy taking a nice relaxing bath on the weekend. I choose bath salts which match the day’s mood and put that in water. Taking a bath makes me feel like I get into a hot spring! There are a lot of different kinds of bath salts. The following picture shows eight types of bath salts. - The first one on the left and next to it are called “Babu” which is Japanese common bath salts for improving overall health. - The third one on the left is one to replicate the most famous hot spring “Beppu onsen.” It’s great for recovering from fatigue. - The fourth one on the left is called “Germanium bath.” It has an effect on two hour’s exercise when you take a bath for twenty minutes. - The fifth one on the left is called “Medicated bath.” It has effects on recovering from fatigue and neuralgia. - The sixth one on the left is called “Bakkantoh.” It includes enzymes to break down fat. It makes a crackling sound like soda! - The seventh on the left is called “Beauty salon mood.” It makes your skin soft and smooth! - The first one on the right is called “Buku buku awa.” It is a bubble bath for improving overall health. Today’s my bath salts are “Babu” which is pink and smells like sakura! I can’t wait for spring!