Bathed in history

THERE is no shower. How do you say, "where is the shower?" in Japanese? You tap and push around the walls of the tiny toilet cubicle,in the hope that a secret compartment pops open to reveal a compact glass-enclosure equipped with showerhead and shampoo. Your heart sinks - there is no shower, no tub, nothing.

"You can bathe in the women's public bath," explains the kindly Kunio Okamura, sixth generation owner of Hoshi Onsen Chojukan, almost apologetically and in near perfect English. "But please check the time because at certain hours it is only for men. And other times it is open to the public as well."

What price dignity? You've already dialled down any expectations of luxury in the pursuit of the ultimate authentic onsen experience; you've already accepted that hot spring nudity is not only the norm but compulsory; yet the realisation that p…