The Naked Stranger

The Naked Stranger is not from around here. He comes from a country where naked people get arrested and baths are a solitary affair. His wife is Japanese and she is always upset at him for reasons he doesn’t quite understand. Like the time he put out the garbage in bare feet. Where he comes from, some people get married in bare feet. But The Naked Stranger does understand one thing about Japan. He loves onsen. It wasn’t exactly love at first soak. It came slowly, like the tingle when you first dip your toe in a scorching hot bath, then ease in and wait for the penetrating heat that comes after. Perhaps you have unwittingly shared a bath with The Naked Stranger. If you've lived in Japan or visited one of Japan's countless Japanese hot springs, you've been the naked stranger. It's one of the great joys of living in this strange land. Just be careful, if you you catch the highly contagious "hot bath syndrome," like many of us long-time Japan residents, you won't be able to leave.