Friday April 15, 2011 On My Own in the K Truck But not in the Public Bath

Branching out from the dojo. Beth is finishing organizing our space at the dojo gym.

Since we are sort of halfway between Ishinomaki and Minami Sanriku, Chad left to drive to check out coastal towns there and possibly Kesennuma. I was delegated to drive the K truck to Camp Morigo to pick up the wheelbarrows, gasoline, etc. Since I was also supposed to get gas I had to memorize "mantan, genkin, kudasai" (fillup, cash, please) for the gas station, and "kyu en bushi" (urgent relief supplies) to use at the exit toll booth for free toll. After managing to cram everything into the truck, I drove into Rifu for kitchen supplies for camp, vegetables for relief runs, an SD card for my camera, and to return a sweatshirt I bought that was too small. So far so good. There is a cool thing at the gas pump where it gives you the receipt for gas, which you then take to a machine between the pumps. You hold your receipt up to the window which reads a bar code on the receipt, and then automatically dispenses your change. Pretty neat.

Feeling cocky, I decided to drive on into Sendai. The Aeon shopping mall (2 floors of stores and parking on the 3rd and 4th floors) there was closed because of damage, which I discovered when I tried to turn into the parking lot and found it was being used as a recycling center. But across the street was the Coop mall where I was able to buy a map of Miyagi Prefecture, and a souvenir magazine of Tsunami photo coverage. The bookstore directed me next door to the DIY (do it yourself center), where I bought a white board and a cork board.

There was no room left in the cab for anything else even if I wanted, so I turned around and headed back to the dojo. It was a warm day and the produce was starting to wilt anyway. Got back in time to let everyone know I was still alive (my phone had died). Chad still driving back and said it was incredibly sad to see fishing village after village swept away—there were no neighborhoods left to bring supplies to.

Beth had finished partitioning off the men’s and women’s areas, and had organized our camp food and supplies. Since there are no showers at the dojo, she decided it was time for me to finally take the onsen plunge.

First the terms: Sento=public bath; onsen=hot springs public bath; ofuro=the soaking tub in the home. link: http://www.sakura-house.com/tips/living/sento/sento.htm

Here’s the way you bathe (regardless of where): The tub is not for soaping/bathing/washing. That should be obvious since everyone (family or those at the public bath) will be using the same water. You wash first. This is how. In the washing area are about 20 stations with faucets and/or spray hoses. You sit on an overturned bucket (naked just like all the other guys), soap up, lather up, then when you’re finished, fill a basin with water and pour it over your head and body. Once you’ve rinsed off all the soap you’re finally ready to get into the pool.

The towell is long and thin and used as a washcloth for washing and wrung out for a towell when you leave the bath area to get dressed. In the pool, fold the towell and place it on your head; wringing it out or letting it fall in the pool is a no-no. Some sento/onsens may have multiple pools of different temperatures, but generally very hot, and big enough for a dozen or more people. Sitting in it it comes up to your chin. But it’s no big deal; it’s normal just like the showers in the gym, except in a pool. Apparently it dates back to when most homes did not have an bath and hot water was precious, etc. At home the furo (ofuro) may be shared by a parent(s) and a kid or two.

This one was out in the country and up on a high bluff looking out over the lights of the small towns. But it was smaller and less well-appointed than I expected. But at least we were clean.

Too late for real dinner, so back at the dojo I had a flour tortilla with curry stew.

Bonus: two more rules of the road:

11. Flashing red lights on an emergency vehicle going down the road apparently don’t mean anything (especially in the tsunami relief region). Listen for the siren or loudspeaker if they need your attention.

12. Once you get out of the city, the gutters turn into 12 in wide by 24 in deep concrete trenches. In front of driveways, they should be covered by concrete covers. Beware lest you stray too close to the shoulder. You may suddenly be in a trench where you’ll be stuck forever.