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Feb 05 2021 15 Comments

A homemade and ramshackle Japanese hot spring

When looking for abandoned bike photos to put together the previously posted, long-forgotten Tokyo bicycles, I found the picture below and opted for a re-edit. It was taken just over eight years ago, but I can remember the scene like it was yesterday. They’d been diving in the sea, so were enjoying the well-earned warmth of their back-to-basics hot spring — the old lady casually, and very publicly, swapping a wetsuit for her birthday suit before getting in.

“Come and join us,” they shouted. “There’s plenty of room. It’s a hot bath!”

Surprised, and suddenly very flustered, all I could manage was some muttered, half-baked embarrassed answer, which heightened their spirits even further. Thankfully I managed to just about regain enough composure to take this one frame, but looking back, I don’t think I could have looked or sounded more British if I’d tried.

A homemade and ramshackle Japanese hot spring

Categorized: Photography

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Coli says

    2/5/2021 at 8:54 am

    There’s something beautiful about this picture.

    Reply
    • YTSL says

      2/5/2021 at 11:59 am

      Totally. I think it’s the joy emanating in warm waves from the people in the hot bath! 🙂

      Reply
      • Lee says

        2/5/2021 at 5:41 pm

        Thank you, very good to know it’s not just me who feels that way. The warm faces, bath and also the colours really seem to complement each other. Wonder if it’s still there…?

        Reply
  2. Richard says

    2/5/2021 at 9:22 am

    Nothing compares to being caught completely off guard! It happens at some point to everyone of foreign origins living in Japan.

    Reply
    • Lee says

      2/5/2021 at 5:43 pm

      That’s very true. It wasn’t the first time, and it very likely won’t be the last!

      Reply
  3. john says

    2/5/2021 at 10:49 am

    I also remember this. What a ‘Carry On’!
    Unless it was the Tardis of Hot Baths it was probably the perfect solution for it to be memorable all round!
    You certainly got them smiling.

    Reply
    • Lee says

      2/5/2021 at 5:46 pm

      Haha, yes, a very Carry On kind of moment.

      It felt like the very opposite of the Tardis at the time, further adding to my shy awkwardness! And yeah, I certainly gave them a good reason to smile!

      Reply
  4. YTSL says

    2/5/2021 at 12:00 pm

    Love the photo and your story. Thanks for sharing (both), Lee!

    Reply
    • Lee says

      2/5/2021 at 5:48 pm

      Glad to hear it, and you are very welcome. Editing the photo and writing the little background story made me smile a lot, so a very enjoyable process.

      Reply
  5. Stephan says

    2/5/2021 at 1:22 pm

    Great photo and story. That sure is one cozy bath without 1 more person!

    Reply
    • Lee says

      2/5/2021 at 5:50 pm

      Thank you. And yes, that was my thought. I’m hardly a giant, but still…

      Reply
  6. Darryl Young says

    2/6/2021 at 5:33 pm

    Great picture. What a nice moment. Thanks for sharing.

    Reply
    • Lee says

      2/6/2021 at 8:52 pm

      Thank you, and you are very welcome. Yeah, it really was a lovely moment. One of those unique and completely unexpected encounters that Japan is so good at.

      Reply
  7. cdilla says

    2/12/2021 at 6:47 am

    Such a blast of colour and laughter. Even the drabbest corner of concrete and pipes can suddenly be vibrant and alive. Marvelous. And your story to go with it is perfect.

    Reply
    • Lee says

      2/12/2021 at 9:43 am

      Cheers! Yeah, the colours were wonderful. The perfect match for the similarly colourful bathers.

      Reply

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