Oh my, Onsen

Well, I just got back from my first Onsen today. If you don't know... it's a natural burning spring that the Japanese go to take a bath with everybody else in the nude. I was told the nude part was optional and some underwear was allowed. Not the case however, but I had already taken a 2.5 hour subway ride into the mountains and was not going to pass on this cultural experience. (Plus, today we got school off because it's a national holiday --Cultural Day!)
We first ate a full Japanese buffet, which was oishii (delicious) and then headed to the onsen where we paid $5.20 to get naked and enter the hot spring bathing area. The water was interesting. Since it was a natural hot spring, the color of the water was gleaming a golden color. Very helpful to cover up little bits you don't want showing! The Japanese girl we went with was all about going nude, but the rest of us worked out a system to cover our eyes while we got in and out of the Onsen. I didn't mind the other ladies staring at me (which, ohhhh they did!) due to the fact that I'll never see them again! After lasting in the 42 C water for about seven minutes, I was so light-headed that I got out to rinse off in the "shower room." The shower room was in the same room with the pool area, and just as naked. However, by that time I was getting used to the nakedness. We then dried off, put our clothes back on, and sat in the lobby for about thirty minutes just to get our faces to stop looking like fire trucks.