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GOURMET TRAVELLER 159

while adding dramatic new design
elements. Sarasa Nishijin, in
particular, has retained a stunning
Taisho-era gabled entrance, while
Scai the Bathhouse in Tokyo is an
Edo-era sento transformed into
a contemporary art space.
At its heart the onsen is about
hadaka no tsukiai, a Japanese term
meaning “naked communion”,
a way to break down social barriers
and encourage people to relax – it’s
hard to be stressed or laud your
status while standing stark-naked
in front of your peers.
Onsen is a ritual, a social
gathering, a bath with benefits.
It’s gokuraku – heaven.●

Clockwise from

left: Gozanoyu,

Kusatsu Onsen,

Kusatsu; Arai

Ryokan, Izu;

Takaragawa

Onsen, Minakami;

Hoshi Onsen

Chojukan,

Minakami;

Akazawa Higaeri

Onsenkan, Ito;

Gotembashi

Onsen Kaikan,

Gotemba.

This is an edited extract

fromOnsen of Japan,by

Steve Wide and Michelle

Mackintosh, (Hardie

Grant Travel, pbk, $29.99,

available 1 July).

Design