The Sensual Side Of The Orient—Part II, by Boy? Lafayette De Mente
Tokyo, Japan (ContentDesk) January 29, 2006 -- The secret of the appeal of the Orient to Western men has always been the sensual side of Asian cultures, claims Boy? Lafayette De Mente, the author of more than 50 books on the strengths, weaknesses, foibles and sexual behavior of Asians.???? In fact, in his book "The Sensual Side of the Orient," De Mente makes the claim that it was the women of the Orient and the overall sensuality of life in Asia that motivated early Western explorers to make dangerous voyages to the Eastnot just silk, spices and cheap prices. ???? He adds that this same appeal worked its magic on the hordes of American and European importers who began pouring into Japan in the late 1940s and then into Hong Kong and Taiwan in the 1950s and into Korea in the 1960s. ???? It is true that people in these countries could make things cheap, but if it had not been for the presence and availability of so many attractive women many of the importers would have been far less ambitions and persistent in their efforts, De Mente says.???? De Mente makes a special point of the role that hot spring baths have traditionally played in the sensual side of life in Japan. Here, paraphrased, is his rundown on Japans extraordinary collection of hot spring spas and their importance in the sensual side of life in Japan:???? Several hundred million years ago the earth's mantle opened up and spewed forth the Japanese islands, leaving a ring of volcanoes and thermal vents from the northernmost island of Hokkaido to the southern island of Kyushu.???? Present-day Japan has 10 percent of the earth's volcanoes and more active volcanoes than any other country. There are more than 10,000 well-known thermal vents in the crust of Japan, and over 2,100 of these have been developed into onsen (own-sen), or hot spring bath spas.???? Japan's hot spring spas can be found in mountain gorges and valleys, on the slopes of mountains, along the sides of peninsulas, and on the coasts.
Some hot springs bubble up from the seabed offshore. There is one in the middle of Tokyo Bay that has been tapped for a new, spectacular hot spring spa complex on the man-made island of Odaiba.???? The larger of the hot springs vents have given birth to hundreds of resort villages and towns. Some of them, like Atami, Beppu and Ito, qualify as cities.???? Smaller onsen have 15 to 30 inns and hotels that feature hot mineral baths and the other amenities of a Japanese style spa. Larger onsen have from 30 to 300 inns and hotels. The largest one, Beppu, has some 700 inns, and attracts upwards of a million visitors a year.
???? Hokkaido alone has 193 onsen spas, and over 1,500 thermal springs. Shizuoka Prefecture, about an hour south of Tokyo by Bullet Train, has only 71 hot spring resort spas, but it has over 2,100 thermal springs.???? Hundreds of Japan's thermal springs have been in commercial use as spas for at least 1,500 years. Numerous events of special significance that occurred in the baths have made the history books. ???? One of the more interesting: Yoritomo Minamoto, the founder in 1192 of Japan's shogunate form of government was a regular visitor. His favorite: Kusatsu, in Gunma Prefecture northwest of present-day Tokyo, because the high mineral content of its waters made his rheumatism better.???? During the famous Tokugawa Shogunate era (1603-1867), successive Shoguns had water brought from the Kusatsu springs to Edo (Tokyo) for their daily baths.???? All of the 2,000-plus hot spring spas that are members of the Japan Spa Association have had their waters analyzed for their mineral content, and provide specific details on their efficacy in curing and relieving a variety of physical and mental illnesses.???? In the last century, Japan's onsen have gone from being just health resorts catering to those with problems to being both health and recreational destinations, with a variety of activities and facilities.???? Today, onsen spas attract huge numbers of regular vacationers, including families, as well as honeymooners and lovers.
Many people go to onsen for days or weeks when they are doing some kind of work project that requires peace and quiet. Others use them as retreats, when they want to opt out of the hubbub of urban life for a weekend or longer.???? For the last century, the spas around Lake Hakone, an hour's train ride from Tokyo and adjoining Mt. Fuji, have attracted many foreign notables. There is almost always a sprinkling of foreign visitors at all major hot spring spas, particularly those in the vicinity of Tokyo, Nagoya, Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe.???? Some onsen feature rotenburo (roh-tane-buu-roh) or outside baths that look like small, shallow swimming pools set among picturesque volcanic boulders. Many of the rotenburo have magnificent views of the surrounding areas.
???? Mixed-sex bathing is still practiced in some hot spring spas, but not in local public onsen. All resort spas have private baths for couples and families. [Regular TV promotional travel stories on the country's spas often show men and women bathing together in large communal baths with their modesty protected by small tenugui (tay-nuu-gooey) hand towels covering key body parts.???? The foreign visitor who leaves Japan without having had the hot spring spa experience has missed an opportunity to enjoy one of the special pleasures the country has to offer.????
For the visitor who cannot get beyond Tokyo, there is the new Oedo Onsen Monogatari (Oh-eh-doh Own-sen Moe-no-gah-tah-ree) on Odaiba islet in Tokyo Bay, only a few minutes from the center of the city. ???? This huge complex is built as an Edo era onsen village, with restaurants and shops that are right out of the Tokugawa Shogunate period of Japan.???? There are some 60 other hot spring spas in Tokyo alone, and the number throughout the country is growing&because the tourism industry has finally glommed onto the idea that they can be a big draw for foreign visitors!???? In addition to "The Sensual Side of the Orient" (available as digital book from Amazon.com and numerous other online booksellers), De Mentes 60-plus other titles, most in printed form, offer travelers as well as businessmen a wide choice of cultural-insight guides on the Orient..
Virbotics unveils 100% Spam Free Email Service, BayEmail.com
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Verizon Superpages.com Suggests Activities for Earth Day 2005 and Arbor Day 2005
Whether you're throwing out castoffs from spring cleaning or beautifying your backyard, Verizon superpages.com, your local search expert, offers local sources and tips for celebrating Earth Day 2005 (April 22) and Arbor Day (April 29).Old computers, cell phones and chemicals like paint or household cleaners are usually among the trash collected during a spring cleaning sweep, but these items can damage the environment unless they are properly handled. Contact local
hazardous waste disposal services to learn how to safely dispose of chemicals. You can take old computers and monitors back to stores that sell computers, and you can drop off cellular phones at a nearby Verizon Wireless retail store.???Another common spring cleaning leftover is a closet full of wire dry-cleaning hangers. Many
Spring break > Verizon Superpages.com Suggests Activities for Earth Day 2005 and Arbor Day 2005
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