Japan culture oddities

But there is nothing better than finally getting off your bike and being able to check into your hotel/ accommodations, because about 80% of the time, where ever you are staying there is a traditional bath, called an onsen by the Japanese people. In general terms, an onsen is like a hot spring, or a spa. It is almost a type of sacred bathing place for the people. You have to wear the convention Yokata, which is a robe, before you enter into the onsen area. You then must rinse your body before you enter the onsen, If you do not you have the possibility of being yelled at by other people for not being clean before thoroughly cleaning yourself. Another very important thing about the onsen is that you must go completely nude with possibly other men inside the onsen as well. Conventionally men and women are separate but there are a few of the co-ed onsens where both men and women are completely exposed. At first it is a very, nerve racking knowing there are other nude men around you, but then after a while you get used to it. There are rules that there should be no staring or any sort of nonsense, and people generally follow those rules.
One down side to the Japanese culture, is that when you go to bed at night after a long hard day of biking. The Japanese sleep on little lightly cushioned mats, called tatame mats. These are not all the comfortable to sleep on after a long ride. Another thing is that the pillow they give you, is like a rice sack. It is hard and feels as though it was filled with some sort of grain. Not all that comfortable but it was a place to sleep. I had some bad back pains after waking up in the morning and I felt like I didnt get much sleep, but after taking a quick moment in the onsen, it usually loosens things up.