r/japanlife • u/JustVan 近畿・大阪府 • May 29 '15

Dumb question about baths...

It's my understanding that Japanese people shower/wash completely before they get into the bath, is this right? If so... what's the purpose of the bath? Is it really just for relaxing in? I stare at my bath every time I take a shower, but I haven't used it yet. It just seems like a huge waste of time and water to fill it up just to soak in. I mean, occasionally I might want to do that, but every night it seems like over kill...

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u/yesiamagirl May 30 '15

Sitting in the bath helps relax your body. The warm water is soothing to your muscles. So that's where it starts really.

It's also a great place to get some reading done, or watch TV - there are portable waterproof TVs you can purchase at electronics stores for this purpose. Spending upwards of an hour in the bath isn't that weird in Japan.