Taking the Japanese Bath
First of all, I have to explain "Japanese bath" to you.
It is difficult for me for me to explain the trait of the bath in Japan to you because English is unskilled.
But, I found a very good web page.
Sukiya Living Magazine (JOJG)
The person who wrote sentences of the web page is well informed of a Japanese bath.
The explanation of the web page is very detailed and is wonderful.
I explain by using the photograph in a Japanese bath so that you may understand a Japanese bath because there is little photograph in the web page.
The Japanese Bath
Taking a bath in Japan is serious business.
The Japanese bathtub, known as 風呂(furo) or お風呂(ofuro) in Japanese, plays a role in three distinct aspects of Japanese culture: the private home, the public Japanese bath house, and onsen hot spring resorts.
 |
 |
 |
家の風呂(ie no furo):
Private home bath |
銭湯(sento/sentou):
Japanese public bath |
温泉(onsen):
Japanese hot spring |
In each case the Japanese bath experience amounts to much more than simply washing off.
Many Japanese people view sitting in their ofuro soaking tubs as a must-do daily ritual similar to eating or sleeping.
For those individuals bathing is something that they must do to feel healthy and happy.
Other Japanese people look at bathing as a social activity.
Many parents bathe with their children, enjoying the experience and feeling it builds better relationships between family members.
Even co-workers might bathe together when they go to an onsen resort on a company junket, or when they visit a hotel's 銭湯(sento) public bath during a business trip.
There are several differences between the Japanese bath and Western ones.
Japanese soaking tubs are generally much deeper, so someone sitting in the tub can easily sink down with the water at chin level.
Japanese bath water also tends to be much hotter than what Westerners normally find comfortable.
The extra water volume (deeper tubs) and the hotter water temperature means that "conserving" the hot water becomes something of a priority.
Japanese bathtubs are often installed in a fairly large room that has an alcove "changing area" beside it.
There is never a toilet in the room with the bathtub. (Though it is in the housing complex in a big city in Tokyo etc.)
To most Japanese people it seems crazy - and even somewhat embarrassing - when Westerners put toilets in the same room where you are trying to wash.

Ofuro soaking tubs are usually surrounded by a tile floor and several tile walls.
Fixed to one wall will be a shower with a flexible hose.
There will likely be a wooden or plastic stool to sit on, and without exception there will be a drain in the floor between the shower and the tub.
Read more
Words of taking the Japanese bath
Well, please learn the words concerning taking a bath in Japanese.
| English |
Getting into the bathtub |
Getting out of the bathtub |
| Action |
 |
 |
| English |
getting into the bathtub. |
getting out of the bathtub. |
| Hiragana |
よくそう に はいる。
ゆぶね に はいる。
ばすたぶ に はいる。 |
よくそう から でる/あがる。
ゆぶね から でる/あがる。
ばすたぶ から でる/あがる。 |
| Japanese |
浴槽 に 入る。
湯船 に 入る。
バスタブ に 入る。 |
浴槽 から 出る/上がる。
湯船 から 出る/上がる。
バスタブ から 出る/上がる。 |
| Pronunciation |
yokusou ni hairu.
yubune ni hairu.
basutabu ni hairu. |
yokusou kara deru/agaru.
yubune kara deru/agaru.
basutabu kara deru/agaru. |
Bathtub
| English |
Kanji |
Hiragana |
Katakana |
| Bathtub |
浴槽 |
よくそう |
ヨクソウ |
| 湯船 |
ゆぶね |
ユブネ |
| ----- |
ばすたぶ |
バスタブ |
| Annotation |
Generally, the script used is dark gray characters. |
| English |
Soaking in the bathtub |
Feeling dizzy in the bathtub |
| Action |
 |
 |
| English |
soaking in the bathtub. |
feeling dizzy in the bathtub. |
| Hiragana |
ふろ/ゆ につかる。 |
のぼせる。 |
| Japanese |
風呂/湯 に浸かる。 |
逆上せる。 |
| Pronunciation |
furo/yu ni tsukaru |
noboseru |
| Annotation |
As for "逆上せる(noboseru)", a hiragana is used generally. |
| English |
Drawing the hot water |
Dashing the hot water |
| Action |
 |
 |
| English |
Drawing the hot water. |
dashing the hot water. |
| Hiragana |
おゆ/ゆ を くむ。 |
おゆ/ゆ を かける。 |
| Japanese |
お湯/湯 を 汲む。 |
お湯/湯 を 掛ける。 |
| Pronunciation |
oyu/yu wo kumu |
oyu/yu wo kakeru |
| Annotation |
The word for which nominal prefix "お(o)" is used is a polite word. |
There are a lot of words with pronunciation "kakeru".
For instance, "書ける", "欠ける", "賭ける", "懸ける", "架ける", "駆ける", "描ける", etc.
We(Japanese people) often forget the kanji.
We use the hiragana and the katakana in such a scene.
There is no problem even if you forget the kanji.
There is no problem even if you doesn't know the kanji.
For that case, please write by the hiragana or the katakana. |
| English |
Taking a shower |
Shampooing one's hair |
| Action |
 |
 |
| English |
taking a shower. |
shampooing one's hair. |
| Hiragana |
しゃわー を あびる。 |
あたま/かみ を あらう。 |
| Japanese |
シャワー を 浴びる。 |
頭/髪 を あらう。 |
| Pronunciation |
shawā wo abiru |
atama/kami wo arau |
| Annotation |
The meaning of word "頭(atama)" is "Head".
The meaning of word "髪(kami)" is "Hair". |
| English |
Wringing the towel |
Scrubbing one's body |
| Action |
 |
 |
| English |
wringing the towel. |
scrubbing one's body. |
| Hiragana |
たおる を しぼる。 |
からだ を こする。 |
| Japanese |
タオル を 絞る。 |
体 を 擦る。 |
| Pronunciation |
taoru wo shiboru |
karada wo kosuru |
| English |
Washing oneself |
Washing one's back |
| Action |
 |
 |
| English |
washing oneself. |
washing one's back. |
| Hiragana |
からだ を あらう。 |
せなか を ながす。 |
| Japanese |
体 を 洗う。 |
背中 を 流す。 |
| Pronunciation |
karada wo arau |
senaka wo nagasu |
Hararie
Sanshodo-Kotoba tsukaikata ejiten
 |
三省堂ことばつかいかた絵じてん
[sanshoudou kotoba tsukaikata e jiten]
In this page, I used the image of this book.
This is a book for children in Japan to learn basic Japanese.
In this book, the word of Japan that we use in daily life is explained with the image, and it is very convenient.
This book will be very useful for you who is learning Japanese.
*You can buy this book in Japanese Amazon.
(It is not sold outside Japan.) |
*Category: カテゴリ(kategori), Tag: タグ(tagu)
Recent comment