Naked Gaijin Onsen Review: Taihei Onsen Tenpuu no Yu

By Naked Gaijin | Sunday, Nov 25, 2007

Nakajima; Nagoya; Chubu Region

Japan, as the tourism board never wearies of reminding us, has four distinct seasons, and right now it is definitely autumn. There is a distinct chill in the Nagoya air, street vendors are selling hot chestnuts and roasted sweet potatoes and the Louis Vuitton store have changed the photo in their window from a woman sitting on her suitcases and gazing out with a fin de siecle air  to an ennuyeuse woman wearing nothing but a fur coat and a handbag.

The clear, cold weather makes for ideal rotenburo weather, and Taihei Onsen has a slightly different take on outdoor baths. As well as three large communal baths - one set in rock, one in a raised wooden tub and a shallow one designed for lying down in - they have individual stone tubs. Hot spring water trickles into the deep round baths via wooden shutes, and leaning back in one of these, watching the bamboo leaves waving against the blue fall sky is an extremely satsifying experience.

The spring water here is advertised as being naturally around 34 degrees, but the day I was there the outdoor baths hovered around the 42 degree mark (around 107 in Farenheit). I am not sure whether this is because the water is artificially heated or due to natural temperature variations, but either way it is pretty damn hot. Not that I had a problem with this - in fact, I probably stayed in far longer than I should have, judging from my vermillion face. Wiser bathers than me took advantage of the raised resting place above the stone bath that always had one or two people lying on it with a contented smile on their faces.

Inside, the atmosphere was steamy, although I think the baths were a little cooler. From what I could make out, they were just plain hot water rather than from a natural spring, but as usual there was no skimping on the water jet massages. There was a one that bubbled like a cauldron, a set where you leant back and had your back and feet massaged, a set where you sat upright and had the same done and, my favourite, two which directed a large and powerful jet right onto your lower back. There was also an electric bath, which is very reminiscent of sticking a knife in a toaster, and I have indeed tried both. Personally, I recommend that the reader does not follow my example in either case. A sauna and a cold bath completed the selection.

Taihei translates to ‘peace’, and despite being a pretty bustling onsen the day I went I have to say that Taihei Onsen acheived their aim. Although it was popular with young families, the accoustics of the bathing areas made the children’s pleasure in the baths heartwarming rather than ear-splitting and the atmosphere both in and out doors invited the bather to relax and enjoy themselves.

From the moment you bend your head to walk under the giant red ‘Yu’ hanging at the entrance, Taihei Onsen provides the low key luxury of an onsen at its best. At only a fifteen minute ride from central Nagoya, I will certainly return.

Getting There: Take the Aonami Line to Nakajima (260 yen from Nagoya). From the station exit, turn back and walk towards Nagoya. You will pass first a pachinko parlour on your left and then a large appartment complex on your right. When you come to a Suzuki dealership, turn right and cross under the tracks. The onsen is on the left hand side of the road. Total walking time around seven minutes.

Opening Hours: 10 am to 1 am  weekdays; 9 am to midnight weekends on public holidays. Closed on the second Tuesday of every month.

Price: 600 yen, 700 yen on weekends and public holidays. Buy your ticket from the vending machine and then swap the ticket for a changing room locker key at the front desk. Entry to the Healing Room is 300 yen extra.

Services: Soap, shampoo and conditioner are all provided free, as are hairdryers. Towels and other accessories are available for sale. All lockers are free, but require a 100 yen deposit. Massage chairs 100 yen for seven minutes, real massage is also available. There are drink and ice cream vending machines in the waiting area and there is also a Japanese style restaurant on the ground floor.

Naked Gaijin's Profile

The naked gaijin is never shy of getting into hot water. Despite a proclivity of turning a rather attractive shade of crimson, she will seize any opportunity going to take off all her clothes and get into a bath with people she has not even met casually. Indoors, outdoors, in the heart of cities and hidden in backwater country mountains, water of all colours, with and without jets, the naked gaijin has tried it all and always wants more. Except for electric baths. They are just wrong.

Interests: Onsen, Sento, Rotenburo, Hot Springs, Baths

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