dogo hot springs, japan

Michael and I were in Matsuyama visiting friends. Our second exchange student Mamika and her parents hosted us at Dogo Hot Springs, heralded as the oldest hot springs in Japan. The venerable 1894 building was huge and impressive with its Sansoro-style roof.

Mamika’s family rented a private room where we changed into supplied yukatas. We dipped in the renowned Bath of the Spirits as well as a large public bath filled with local elderly ladies. Afterward we cooled down with tea and bothchan dango.

The Hot Springs is such an integral part of the town that many visitors walk out and about in their yukatas and then head back in for another bath. It’s a little like bikinis being worn as street wear in Venice Beach, CA.

no washing day blues

I have successfully washed six one-yard lengths of the yukata cotton together. This test was in my front-loading washing machine with Trader Joe concentrated clothes detergent and warm/cold water on a casual cycle.

The result: no running or offsetting of the indigo dyes! And the piece with the white background stayed pristine.

The hand of the washed cotton surprised me. Once ironed it was crisp and cool, not soft and limp. As far as I can see, the direct iron did not make the fabric shiny.

flutter-bys

These three butterfly fabrics just arrived from Japan. It’s fun to see the same motif created in such different ways on this vintage indigo-dyed yukata cotton.