J ● T| Japanese Traditions and culture

“Konyoku” means that men and women bathe in the same bath.
There are some inns which have private rooms with an exclusive bath or an open-air bath for a couple to do “Konyoku” by themselves.
Men and women bathing in the same bath is often regarded as Japan-specific custom, but such kind of custum is also seen in Northern Europe like German or East European countries, so it’s not unique to Japan.
The “Konyoku” in the Western countries is usually divided into two. One is called “spa” where people must wear swimsuits. And the other is called “sauna” where people must enter in the nude because it is regarded as the place for warm bath therapy.

In the old days in Japan, there were no large bathtubs built for public use, but there were only natural baths made by gathered hot springs. Thus there was no baths for men nor for women and they naturally started to bathe together.

But in those days people bathed with a loincloth or a waistcloth put on, so it is said that people began to bathe naked from the Edo Period.
In the time proceeded from those days, in the hot spring resort area, some public baths which drew hot springs from the source were built, but they were still not distinguished between men and women.
In the Edo Period, “Sento” (public babathhouse) became popularized in big cities.

In 1791, for the purpose of crackdown against public morals, Matsudaira Sadanobu releasesd “Ban on Mixed Bathing” to ban mixed bathing in the “Sento” in Edo. It is said that actually this aimed to ban on prostitution or hiring a prostitute in Sento etc. rather than mixed bathing itself.
Because in the bathhouse in those days, there was something lIke a waiting room on the second floor and it was not only a social meeting place with a shogi board placed, but also a snug place for prostitution by yuna(women who assist bathers in a bathhouse or a hot-spring house) etc. or gambling.
There are manners you must keep anyway in mixed bathing. Even a man should wear a waistcloth, you should not gaze even a woman came, and you should stop taking a picture by camera when a woman came in even if the scenery was beautiful, and so on.

An inn which has an exclusive bath is very popular among couples. Though an inn with a private open-air bath is expensive and even an inn with a free exclusive bath is not easy to stay long, it would be the happiest time to bathe togather with the person you love enjoying the wide scenery.

“Niwa no Yu”(Nerima-ku, Tokyo)
A bathhouse next to Toshimaen.
In Baade zone, you can wear swimsuit, so men and women can enjoy bathing together!
If you utilized floating power, resisting power, hydrostatic pressure, dynamic water pressure, and hyperthermia effect, you can freshen up and detoxify your tired body with enjoying warm bath at the same time.