HJAP0210 - Saga of the Inukai
Jun 12, 2013 23:28:01 GMT -8
Post by HyveMynd on Jun 12, 2013 23:28:01 GMT -8
I'm about an hour and quarter into the episode, and as usual I am loving it.
Good job CADave. I am well pleased with Nikoma-san's actions towards Ayaka-san. I can only imagine the looks you got from the peanut gallery of Stu, Stork, Tyler, and Kimi. Especially with that "taint" talk. Sometimes you just have to put on imaginary blinders and completely ignore what the other players are doing.
A quick note about baths, as I'm at the part where the heroes have returned to the ryokan and are cleaning up. I'm guessing that the Rokugani baths are based on Japanese baths, which I have some experience with. First, unless the ryokan wass absolutely tiny, there would be separate male and female baths. Ikume would go through one set of doors (or hanging curtains), while Masashi and Rukai would go another set. Very few baths are co-ed, and those that are usually have some kind of divider between then (like a solid wooden fence) so that the male bathers can't see the female bathers and vice versa. You could still converse with the other side though, so it'd be a great place to make plans. After you went through the door or curtain, there'd be a changing room with shelves or baskets to put your clothes in, and then you'd go into another room, most likely stone, where the actual baths were. If the ryokan was built over a naturally occurring hot spring (an onsen) there'd be a big stone pool, possibly natural or maybe tiled, sunk into the stone floor. If there wasn't a hot spring nearby, then there'd be separate wooden tubs, probably big enough for a single individual.
No matter how many people used the baths, the water would not get muddy. That's because you are supposed to clean yourself thoroughly before getting into the baths. There would be a wide expanse of floor with wooden benches and drains. You're supposed to take a bucket of hot water from the baths, slosh yourself down, soap up real good, then rinse yourself off. All while standing or sitting or the wooden bench, well away from the actual bath. You're also supposed to be careful to not get any dirty or soapy water in the actual bath itself. After you're nice and clean, then you get into the bath to soak, relax, and drink sake. In a sense, Japanese baths are more like hot tubs; you don't use them to get clean, but to relax.
That's still how it's done in modern Japan. My "bathroom" is a square room about 1 meter to a side, completely coated in plastic with the bathtub (which is much deeper than a Western tub) built into and taking up about half of that floor space. There's a shower on the other side of the room, which when turned on doesn't spray into the tub (unless you take the shower head out of its holder and spray it around). If you want to take a bath, you fill up the bath tub first (a good 15 minites) then flip the lever to swap the water from faucet to shower. You then take a regular shower, being careful not to get soap in the tub (or you put a cover over the tub) and then get into the bath. Entire families take baths using the same water, one right after the other, with the oldest male getting to go first. Modern houses actually have heating elements built into the bath tub so that the water stays hot for everyone.
It's a bit annoying to shower off first, but it's worth it to not soak in a tub of your own filth.
Also, Nikoma not taking a bath upon returning to the inn? Highly unusual. Not having an evening bath might as well be like not brushing your teeth before bed. People would be shocked and kind of grossed out if you told them you didn't do it.
Good job CADave. I am well pleased with Nikoma-san's actions towards Ayaka-san. I can only imagine the looks you got from the peanut gallery of Stu, Stork, Tyler, and Kimi. Especially with that "taint" talk. Sometimes you just have to put on imaginary blinders and completely ignore what the other players are doing.
A quick note about baths, as I'm at the part where the heroes have returned to the ryokan and are cleaning up. I'm guessing that the Rokugani baths are based on Japanese baths, which I have some experience with. First, unless the ryokan wass absolutely tiny, there would be separate male and female baths. Ikume would go through one set of doors (or hanging curtains), while Masashi and Rukai would go another set. Very few baths are co-ed, and those that are usually have some kind of divider between then (like a solid wooden fence) so that the male bathers can't see the female bathers and vice versa. You could still converse with the other side though, so it'd be a great place to make plans. After you went through the door or curtain, there'd be a changing room with shelves or baskets to put your clothes in, and then you'd go into another room, most likely stone, where the actual baths were. If the ryokan was built over a naturally occurring hot spring (an onsen) there'd be a big stone pool, possibly natural or maybe tiled, sunk into the stone floor. If there wasn't a hot spring nearby, then there'd be separate wooden tubs, probably big enough for a single individual.
No matter how many people used the baths, the water would not get muddy. That's because you are supposed to clean yourself thoroughly before getting into the baths. There would be a wide expanse of floor with wooden benches and drains. You're supposed to take a bucket of hot water from the baths, slosh yourself down, soap up real good, then rinse yourself off. All while standing or sitting or the wooden bench, well away from the actual bath. You're also supposed to be careful to not get any dirty or soapy water in the actual bath itself. After you're nice and clean, then you get into the bath to soak, relax, and drink sake. In a sense, Japanese baths are more like hot tubs; you don't use them to get clean, but to relax.
That's still how it's done in modern Japan. My "bathroom" is a square room about 1 meter to a side, completely coated in plastic with the bathtub (which is much deeper than a Western tub) built into and taking up about half of that floor space. There's a shower on the other side of the room, which when turned on doesn't spray into the tub (unless you take the shower head out of its holder and spray it around). If you want to take a bath, you fill up the bath tub first (a good 15 minites) then flip the lever to swap the water from faucet to shower. You then take a regular shower, being careful not to get soap in the tub (or you put a cover over the tub) and then get into the bath. Entire families take baths using the same water, one right after the other, with the oldest male getting to go first. Modern houses actually have heating elements built into the bath tub so that the water stays hot for everyone.
It's a bit annoying to shower off first, but it's worth it to not soak in a tub of your own filth.
Also, Nikoma not taking a bath upon returning to the inn? Highly unusual. Not having an evening bath might as well be like not brushing your teeth before bed. People would be shocked and kind of grossed out if you told them you didn't do it.