Onsen, Ofuro and Rotemburo are a common sight in Japan, an ancient tradition still kept and one of the most interesting things to do for a cultural experience in Japan. Although Bathing naked with a bunch of strangers is not everyone’s cup of tea it’s still a nice way of getting clean and relaxing at the same time while in 
a cheap way. Local Ofuros costs between 410 and 650 Yens while city ofuros between 1.200 and 2.000 Yens. These are also many times combines with capsule hotels, but many people also sleeps in the rest area. I normally used to sleep over in Tokyo, its much cheaper than the hotel.
I was told that from long time ago Japanese houses didn’t have Bathrooms, and that water was very expensive, therefore the public baths were created. In the beginning they were mixed, with men and women in the same place, but later it changed and developed until the baths we can now find, although there still are gender mixed baths, free baths in the woods and those things. Normally used for relaxing and cleaning purposes the nowadays ofuros offers also an alternative to stay after you missed the last train, a system that leaves many Salary men stranded after their jobs.
Ofuros are located in all neighborhoods and come in all sizes, there are small ones with 2 pools and showers (created for the houses that still don’t have bathrooms) and big ones with more than 5 hot tubs, plus Saunas, steam rooms, outside areas, cold water pools and other gadgets. The Ofuro near my house is a medium sized one with 4 pools.
Some pools you may find in an ofuro are:
A hot water pool to get warm when you enter to the ofuro.
Showers to get clean, and shave.
A second (or third) hot water pool with colored water, micro bubbles, or minerals.
A small part of the pool or a small pool charged with electricity.
Jacuzzis
A cold water pool
Some Ofuros have dry sauna, hot sauna. steam sauna room.
Onsen and rotemburos are located in mountains and countryside. This are filled with water coming from inside the mountain heated natural by volcanic activity, therefore transferring mineral properties to the water and giving them healing abilities. Normally when an Onsen is found a town is created around it, where you may find Ryokan, Hotels and Baths. Also in those onsen towns you are going to find restaurants, convenience stores, liquor stores and souvenir stores.
As all things Here there is a Kata, or way of doing it and this being such a Japanese thing there is of course an etiquette for bathing in an Ofuro. First you must undress in the changing room, leave all your belongings in a locker and proceed, naked and with a small towel if you wish to the contiguous room where the pools are located. Normally showers are scattered around this pools.
First thing you must do is get a plastic bucket that are normally located next to the pools and pour some water over your body to rinse yourself, once you are little bit cleaner you can proceed inside the first hot watered pool to warm up. Its not acceptable to enter the pools directly from the changing room (while still dry) not rinsed or with traces of soap in your body. Once you are comfortably warm you may proceed to shower. Wash your hair and body through fully and make sure you don’t have any soap leftover still on your body before getting in another pool. Then proceed to relax in the desired pool, saunas or Jacuzzis.
Bathers wear no clothes or swimwear inside the pools although normally some people carry a small towel. This is handy for showering, Japanese shower while sitting down and clean their body with a soap soaked towel. The small towel is also useful to cover yourself in some situations like for example if you are lying down in the edge of a pool, or sitting on a chair next to a pool while people are bathing is considered nice from you to cover your private parts.
Sometimes the small towel is placed in the head to keep cool when lying on a hot tub, or inside the sauna.
Traditionally and as being a relaxing point inside the ofuros loud conversations rude behavior and shouting are not tolerated, but Japanese people will engage in conversations with strangers and if a bunch of friends is going together they would hang out in a pool and move around together. It’s still a place to socialize and get to meet people in a more honest way (it’s considering that being naked with another equals you).
Discrimination is practiced in many ways inside the ofuros and onsen. The first way is designed to keep gangster out (yakuzza) and consist in forbidding entry to people with tattoos. Some other places goes beyond and does not allow foreigners into the baths, although that practice is not so popular, specially in local public baths.
Still under any circumstance is recommended that you try it at least once!
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