Good Bath Day (Ii Furo no Hi)

What Is Good Bath Day?

November 26 is "Good Bath Day" (Ii Furo no Hi) in Japan. From the wordplay "ii" (good, 11) and "furo" (bath, 26), it was established by the Japan Bath Additive Industry Association and is registered with the Japan Anniversary Association. One aim is to encourage the use of bath additives, and the association once ran a campaign in which quiz winners could receive travel vouchers and bath products (for two months in 2016). The association was founded in March 1988, and its secretariat was first housed inside Tsumura Juntendo (now Tsumura). Bath additive ingredients require approval from the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, and commonly include inorganic salts, herbal extracts, organic acids, moisturizers, colorants, and fragrances.

Three Effects of Bathing

The association groups the physical effects of bathing on the body into three: heat, water pressure, and buoyancy.

• Heat: a hot bath of 42-44 degrees C stimulates the sympathetic nervous system and makes you active, while a lukewarm bath of 35-38 degrees C engages the parasympathetic system and calms you
• Water pressure: in the tub, your waist is said to shrink by 3-6 cm and your chest by 1-3 cm
• Buoyancy: in water, you weigh about one ninth of what you do in air

Bathing Guidelines by Purpose

The association also gives guidance by purpose. To relieve stress, soak slowly and for a long time in water of 40 degrees C or below. For good sleep, lukewarm water of 38-40 degrees C is generally recommended. Before a stint of work, take a short soak in hot water of 42-43 degrees C and avoid a long bath. To ease tired or swollen legs, soak deeply and for a long time in water of about 40 degrees C to make use of water pressure.

Bath Additives and Bath Trivia

Bath additives are said to have started with "Yoyoku Chujoto," sold to public baths in 1897 (Meiji 30). In the early Showa era, inorganic-salt products such as Novopin and Bathclin went on sale. Before the war, few homes had baths, and additives were mainly used in public baths, but after 1960, during rapid economic growth, public housing with baths increased and home baths became common. In the 1980s carbonated bath additives appeared and the market grew. "Furo" originally meant a steam bath, and today's way of soaking in hot water is said to have been established from the mid-Edo period. Edo's first public bath is said to have been opened in 1591 (Tensho 19) by a man from Ise named Yoichi, beside Zenigame Bridge. As a story of how additives were developed, it is said that at Tsumura Juntendo an employee used herbs that did not meet standards for the women's medicine "Chujoto" in his home bath, it became popular, and public bath owners began to ask for them. The iris baths of the Boys' Festival and the yuzu baths of the winter solstice are also customs of medicinal-plant baths.

Tips for Marking This Day

• Tonight, soak slowly in a lukewarm bath
• When choosing bath additives, compare ingredients and types, such as carbonated or herbal
• Visit a neighborhood public bath or a day-trip hot spring
• Do not push yourself if you feel unwell or worry about a long soak

The 26th of Every Month Is "Bath Day"

The 26th of every month is "Furo no Hi" (Bath Day), and October 10 is "Sento no Hi" (Public Bath Day). Records show a public bath existed in the grounds of Yasaka Shrine in Kyoto in the late Kamakura period. Mount Fuji is often painted on public bath walls because it is said to be auspicious for its widening shape, never tiresome to look at, majestic, and loved by everyone. November 26 is a fine day to rethink how you bathe.