Health, Wellness and Tourism: healthy tourists, healthy business ...

exclusivity of the place by excluding simply curious Westerners with little or no affiliation to
Japanese culture, thus ensuring the satisfaction of their traditional clientele. As one
respondent from Singapore said: “onsen ryokan is Japanese centred. You'd need to speak
Japanese and some ryokan will only accept guests introduced through sister hotels”.
The traditional Japanese aesthetics represented by the “hidden” hot springs draws many
foreigners, but also domestic visitors are motivated by the relaxing and nostalgic atmosphere
promised by such establishments. In one of the most densely populated countries in the world,
where the majority of the population live in crowded urban areas, hot springs breaks may help
restore the equilibrium between the social and the personal. In addition, within the
contradictory framework of the Japanese tourism industry that aims to internationalize its
supply and preserve the vanishing cultural traditions, domestic tourism enjoys an increasing
popularity, since travelling to rural areas is perceived by many domestic visitors as a reunion
with Japanese identity (Creighton 1997). Thus, it is also the “real Japan” what many domestic
visitors seek during their holidays, a concept similar to foreign tourists’ perceptions in terms
of being pre-Western, pre-industrialised and non-urban, but also acknowledged by the
Japanese as a place located in the past.
As indicated by the survey results (and confirmed by e.g. Tsukada 2003, Kojima and
Kawamura 2006), foreigners typically perceive an onsen visit as a pleasurable experience
because of the warm, soothing water, but also some sort of a cultural challenge since there are
strict rules to learn and follow. Although a thorough description of the basics of Japanese
bathing etiquette is included in practically any information or promotional material, including
guidebooks, websites, and even the onsen changing rooms (all very vigorously emphasising
the correct rules, e.g. not taking soap into the tub, really washing yourself well, taking off
jewellery beforehand, bathing without swimsuit, separate pools for men and women, not
taking the little towel into the water), first time visitors may still experience discomfort as one
American respondent described: “Another interesting detail I nearly missed was not knowing
that I had to shower & wash my body with soap before entering the large bath. […] Lastly,
when I was done with my late night bath I thought it was polite to drain all of the water out of
the tub so the person who follows me would not bath in my water. I learned from the ryokan
manager that I should not have drained the tub of its water. She was very polite to me and
understood that I was not very keen on their bathing etiquette. I felt pretty silly after the whole
experience....like an American idiot.” Consequently, it is easy to develop a preconception of
an onsen visit as some sort of cultural test as opposed to the relaxing physical experience it
actually is. The difference in tone is particularly sharp in comparison with marketing
messages of spas in Hungary (and elsewhere outside Japan), which generally focus on the
pleasantness of the experience and the variety of services, treatments, not on expected
behaviour.
Obviously, many international visitors to Japan are simply not interested in an onsen
experience. For some, the reason is the separation of men and women: “My wife and I have
visited Japan three times and lived there for more than two years, but we have not gone to
onsen. Since most onsen are for males only or females only, we would not be together. Since
we are not highly fluent in Japanese, we would not be able to socialize with those around us.”
The lack of interest or an unfavourable attitude towards hot springs may also stems from
intimidation: the further out of the tourist areas they get, the less likely they will find Englishspeakers
and the more likely they will be confused about what is expected of them (Kojima
and Kawamura 2006). As one respondent explained: “I travelled by myself and didn't feel
going into such an onsen by myself as I didn't exactly know whether men and women would be