Note: This story was dynamically reformatted for online reading convenience.
 
 Our Hot Spring Tour

   By Emi Tsuruta

   Note: this is one in a series of posts about my life.  If you'd like to
know more about my friends and me, drop by my home page at:
/~emitsuruta/

   After my boyfriend, Ryosuke, and my little adventure up on the hill near
my parents' house in Kamakura, I didn't see him for about a week or so. 
For one, I wanted to play it safe in case anyone spotted us.  Also, Ryosuke
and I were planning to take a trip to some hot springs, and we didn't want
my parents to get suspicious.  I'm not a little girl anymore.  I'm 20 for
heaven's sake, but my mom worries.  I asked if Ryosuke could sleep over,
but she told me flat out no.  Anyway, she did agree to let me go on a trip
with my friends Michiyo and Debbie, so that was how I got out.

   Michiyo and I were friends in high school, so my parents know her.  She
has this sort of breathless innocence about, always wide-eyed, a bit
scandalized by our classmates and their antics.  My parents like her
though. They think she is a good influence on me.  She is a good looking
girl, clear complexion, delicate features, wispy bangs, sometimes pigtails.
A couple of guys liked her, but her parents didn't approve of the one she
was most interested in, so they didn't date.

   Debbie is my friend from Oceanview in California.  She is tall and
blonde with blue eyes.  In the States, she's just a regular girl, but since
I brought her to Japan, my dad and everyone have been making a big deal. 
She's been staying with us when she's not up in Tokyo with her boyfriend.

   Anyway, the morning of our trip, Debbie and I went to meet Michiyo at
the train station.  From there, we traveled to Yugawara, a hot spring
resort town southwest of Tokyo.  I hadn't really been there before, but the
ads said that some famous Japanese actresses go there for vacations.  We
didn't see anyone like that, but, it turned out to be a pretty nice place
anyway.

   We took the train along the coast chatting in a mix of Japanese and
English.  Michiyo's English was better than I thought, and she and Debbie
could communicate OK.  They wanted to hear all about my cousin Namie's
wedding, and Michiyo especially wanted to know about Namie's brother,
Hideki (who I think she has a crush on).  I told them about the handsome
American guy and Hideki slipping the ice cube down the back of my dress.  I
almost told them about running around the hotel commando, but I decided
that might sound too weird.  They both kind of know how I am, but I didn't
want to rush things.  One problem was Ryosuke had helped me pick out the
hot spring, and it was co-ed, and I hadn't actually told them that yet.  I
decided I'd better go one surprise at a time.

   Anyway, we finally got to Yugawara, bought some snacks near the station,
and then took a taxi to our inn, part way up this steep mountain.  Before
we arrived, I had this picture of Yugawara being by the sea, but it turned
out our inn was way inland.  Yugawara is a picturesque country town nestled
in this sleepy little valley.

   Once we'd checked in, the inn maid helped carry our luggage up to our
room, and explained how the bath system worked.  There were two indoor
baths, one for men and one for women, and one big outdoor bath which was
co-ed except for 'ladies time' right after supper.  As I kind of expected,
Michiyo looked kind of shocked by the co-ed part.  Most inns have special
outdoor baths just for women, but they are usually pretty small and
surrounded by high fences, so you don't get the same view as the big co-ed
ones.  I've always liked the big outdoor baths better, even if it is kind
of embarrassing if men show up while you're there.

   Our room had the most beautiful view.  One window looked out over the
town in the valley below, and another window opened out onto the steep road
we came up on.  I liked the view so much I took some pictures, and some of
them turned out really nice - almost like postcards, I think.

   I wanted to go down, and look at the baths right away.  Debbie was game,
but Michiyo seemed hesitant.  I finally talked her into checking out the
women's indoor bath.  We all changed into our yukatas (=light cotton
robes), and went down.  The bath was on the second floor at the back of the
inn, and had these big floor-to-ceiling windows looking down over the river
and at this big park on the slope across the way.

   I took off my yukata, had a shower, and then stood there naked by the
window looking out at the river and park.  I tried to get Michiyo and
Debbie to come, and look, but they were too shy, afraid that someone might
see.  I could see this path along the hill in the park on the other side,
but it was hard to tell if anyone was there.  Still, this was a women's
bath after all, so for once I had a legitimate excuse for being naked.

   I went, and got my camera, and took some pictures of the river and the
park.  Some other women came in, and saw me, so I put away my camera, and
got into the pool with Michiyo and Debbie.  The women were more surprised
by Debbie than anything I was doing.  I guess they didn't expect to see a
blonde American girl in Yugawara.

   After we'd been there a bit, I finally convinced Debbie and Michiyo to
come down with me, and take a peek at the outdoor bath.  We got dried off,
put on our yukatas, and went off to find it.  On the way, we could kind of
see some parts of the outdoor bath out the window, but you had to walk down
this long winding corridor to get to the changing area.  There were two
white-haired old men in the bath.  Michiyo and Debbie chickened out, and
went back, but I wanted to at least give it a try.

   One problem was that the changing area was co-ed, and even worse, it was
more or less open on three sides.  I stood there for a while trying to
figure out how to change into my towel without letting them see.  I didn't
want to just strip naked in front of them.  I fiddled with my towel, trying
to slide it around me underneath my yukata, but I kept dropping it, and
couldn't get it tied up.  Eventually, I ended up taking my yukata right
off, standing there naked.

   The two guys went completely silent.  They had evidently lost track of
whatever it was they were talking about, and were now staring over at naked
me in wonder.  I guess not a lot of young girls strip naked here in broad
daylight.

   'This is a co-ed bath,' I thought, trying to justify getting naked in
front of them.  I looked down at my body wondering if there was something
wrong with the way I looked.  My fluffy black pubic hair was still sticking
up from when I'd dried it off after bathing earlier.  My breasts had gotten
bigger, nipples pointing towards the sky, probably from the excitement.  My
hello kitty was tingling away like crazy.  Curious, I glanced back at them,
but they were just sitting there somewhat stunned, wondering I guess why I
was showing them.  I didn't really mean anything by it.  I just kind of did
it without thinking too much.

   Eventually, the tension got too much, so I finally pulled my towel
around me.  They were still staring, so to get away, and headed off to the
far side of the pool away from them.  I was so nervous that I lost my grip
on my towel.

   "Kya!" I squealed, pulling the towel back around me.  My heart was
beating like crazy, but I did my best to pretend like this all was normal.
I walked to the far end of the bath, and sunk deep into the water trying to
hide.  The water was warm, but not as hot as at some hot springs.  The two
men eventually went back to whatever it was they were talking about, but
every once in a while, they would peek over this way.

   Eventually, I managed to calm down a bit, and take a look around. 
Behind the men, there was a bamboo fence which I guess was meant to block
the view, but actually you could still see the path in the park above it. I
wonder if there is anyone else watching from across the way.  Behind me,
there were some lit up windows with blinds on them.  I later found out this
was the inn's ping pong room.  At the far end, there was a cave with a
little waterfall of hot spring water that you could stand under.

   I looked over at the men trying to decide if I should take a look at the
waterfall.  I felt nervous, but they were trying to play it cool.  I stood
up.  My towel had come loose under the water, but eventually, I got it
wrapped back around me, and I carefully picked my way up the stone steps to
the cave.  The bottom of the pool was all pebbly, but I stepped in, and hid
from the men behind the wall of the cave.  I felt safer once I was out of
sight.  I looked out over at the park across from us.

   The bamboo fence blocked the view, but I could hear the river gurgling
away even if I couldn't see it.  I wanted to take a look, so I got out, and
walked over to the fence.  I was trying to act calm, but I kept losing my
grip on my towel.  Soon, another man came into the changing area, so I
decided to give up, and head back.  The man who'd just come in gave me a
curious look as we passed each other, but I quickly pulled my yukata back
on, and ran back to the main building.

   Supper was nice - kamaboko (a spongy dish made from fish), shabu shabu
(thinly sliced boiled beef), boiled vegetables and two different kinds of
sashimi (raw fish).  We even got our own private dining room across from
our room.  After supper, the three of us went back to our room to relax for
a while, and then we remembered it was 'ladies time,' so we went back down
to the outdoor bath.  It was kind of crowded.  Almost all the women in the
whole inn were there.  I talked with a couple other Japanese girls who were
around our age.  They were staying at the inn with two boys they knew.  I
asked them if they were going to come back to the bath with their
boyfriends once 'ladies time' was over, but they just giggled.  More women
came, and it got so crowded we gave up, and went back to our room.

   The three of us sat around for a while gabbing about our lives in
California and Japan.  After nine o'clock, ladies time finished, but I
wanted to go back down to the outdoor bath.  Michiyo and Debbie weren't as
keen, but by eleven, we figured that there'd be no one there, so they
finally agreed to come with me.  The bath was empty, so we got a chance to
look around a bit.  At first, we kept our towels on.  We went under the
waterfall, and peeked out over the bamboo fence at the river.  The path in
the park across the way was lit up by lanterns, and looked really romantic.

   After a while, it looked like everyone had gone to bed.  There didn't
seem to be anyone around, and it was pretty dark out, so eventually we all
took off our towels, and just enjoyed the feeling of the warm hot spring
water on our naked skin.  I really do love that feeling.

   Suddenly though, this guy came bounding down the corridor, and stumbled
in catching us naked.  Even I was embarrassed this time.  Debbie and
Michiyo sank deep into the water to hide, but I was sitting in a shallower
spot, so he could see my breasts and even the curve of my naked hips just
above the water.  He was unshaven with a woodsy earthiness about him, sort
of like a lumberjack or something.  He tried not to stare, but he was
clearly quite interested in the small towel I was using to cover my pussy.

   I realized I should say something, so I told him we'd be getting out
soon, hinting he should come back.  He straightened up, apologized for
intruding, and backed up out the door to give us our privacy.

   Cautiously, I got up out of the bath, and walked over to the entrance to
make sure he'd actually left.  Michiyo started shouting to come back,
thinking I was planning on going after him!  I may do some crazy things
sometimes, but I honestly wasn't planning anything like that.  Michiyo got
her towel, and rose up out of the bath to come after me.  I couldn't see
anyone on the walkway, so the guy must have gone back to the main building.
I finally rescued my towel, and dried off.

   Once we'd all got our yukatas on, we walked back up, and told the man he
could go in now.  He was cute in a rough kind of way.  I batted my
eyelashes at him, flirting.  Debbie giggled, and made goo-goo eyes.  He
smiled back, but went on by down towards the bath.

   When we got back to our room, I wanted to talk about what we'd just
done, but Michiyo ignored me, and started getting ready for bed.  I was too
charged up to think about sleep.  I kept thinking about the look on that
guy's face when he'd caught us naked.  After Michiyo and Debbie went to
sleep, I went back down to the bath, but it was already closed for the
night.  I decided to go out for a walk, so I went back to the room to get
my haori (=a short Japanese style coat you wear over a yukata).

   I left my key with the front desk clerk, and walked back down the hill
to the bridge that goes over the river.  I wasn't wearing any underwear
under my yukata though, so I felt a bit naughty.  The whole town was so
quiet.  I saw a young couple in yukatas probably staying at another inn,
but there were no cars at all, and all the lights in the shops were out.  I
couldn't believe how early everyone goes to sleep.  I guess there aren't
that many places that stay open late in Yugawara.

   I walked across the bridge, and then back along the other side of the
river, and found the entrance to the park we'd seen from the baths.  I
walked up the steps along this steep path through the trees.  With all the
trees, it was pretty dark, but it looked safe enough.  It was very
peaceful.

   I climbed up the path, and eventually, I could see our inn back on the
other side of the river.  Almost all the lights were out there too.  When I
climbed up farther, I saw the outdoor bath, and sure enough the path was
high enough you could see the whole bath.  I wondered if anyone had seen us
early when we were frolicking around in the nude.  Eventually, further up
the hill, I came to a large clearing with some kind of hot spring amusement
in the middle.  I turned around, and went back the way I came down the path
through the forest.

   To be perfectly honest, I was kind of looking around for a place I could
take my yukata off.  I don't do things like that too often, especially with
Ryosuke not around, but there was just something about that whole night,
bathing with those old men, and being seen by that outdoorsy guy.  I was in
one of those moods, and it was hard to settle down.  The whole town seemed
pretty quiet, and I thought...  I don't know.  I thought maybe it would be
fun to just see if I could...  well you know let loose or whatever.  I just
wanted to try, and see what would happen.

   About half way down, I noticed a break in the trees that led down a
narrow path to the river.  I followed it down till I came right to the
water's edge.  The river was rocky and shallow, foaming white in places
where the water splashed up.  I could hear the murmuring of the river flow,
and the cicadas chirping away, but other than that, it was so quiet.  On
the other side of the river, I could see the bamboo fence of the bath, but
the main building of our inn was further back.  I looked back up into the
woods along the path, but it looked like no one was around at all.  I
decided to take a chance, and I carefully stripped off my haori and yukata,
folding them over my arm, and stood there naked for a moment.

   I dipped my toe into the river, but it was so cold.  Even though I'd
been brave enough to strip down, I felt afraid standing there naked in the
forest so close to the center of town, so I ended up pulling my yukata and
haori back on.  My heart was pounding, and I didn't want to take any more
chances, so I quickly walked back to the inn.

   I still felt too excited to go to bed though.  I wanted to do something
else, do something a bit more daring.  I didn't want to wake Debbie and
Michiyo, so I just took off my haori, and then went across the hall to the
tatami (=straw mat) dining room where we'd eaten supper.  The blinds on the
windows were all closed, and it was all dark.  I took off my yukata again,
getting all excited from being naked out in the public area of the inn. 
Leaving the yukata on the floor, I tiptoed over to the door, and peeked out
into the hallway.  It was really quiet, but I knew that the people at the
front desk directly below were probably still awake.  I worked up my nerve,
and finally, stepped right out into the hallway.  My whole body was
tingling from the feeling of standing there naked in the hallway.  I guess
part of it was the fact that someone could come along at any second, and
catch me here.  I felt so embarrassed and nervous and excited it felt like
I was going to burst.  The tension was too much though, and I ran back into
the dining hall, and pulled my yukata back on.

   I couldn't settle down though.  I was still as wound up as ever.  I
ended up taking my yukata off again, and walked out naked straight down the
hall past all these rooms where people were sleeping.  The electricity in
the air was incredible.  I made it all the way to the stairs and elevators
right in the center of the inn.  I knew what I was doing was crazy.  There
were dozens of people staying in the inn that night.  Someone could come
out at any minute.  I just couldn't help myself.  I was loving the feeling,
the pure naughtiness of it all.

   I felt for my necklace.  It was the only thing I was wearing.  I played
with it nervously as I listened to hear if anyone was coming.  I looked
down at my creamy white body, my tan from the summer all gone by then.  I
could hardly believe I was doing such a thing, standing there stark naked
right in the middle of the inn.  Ryosuke wasn't even there, and here I was
doing the exact same thing.  I dug my toes into the plush carpet, savoring
the feeling, anything that reminded me of how exposed I was.  I peeked over
at the elevator, and the lights seemed to be moving.  I suddenly realized
that maybe this wasn't the safest place to be running around naked.

   Before the elevator doors opened, I quickly ran back to the dining hall.
Even when I made it back to the safety of the tatami room, my whole body
was still shaking with excitement from what I'd just done.  It was such an
incredible rush to be walking around in the inn with nothing on.  I've
always wanted to try that, and I'm glad I did.  I'd like to try it again
someday, maybe with Ryosuke there to guard me.  Finally, I put my yukata
back on, went back to our room, and went to bed.

   The next morning, I woke up in an even friskier mood, if you can
imagine. Ryosuke was coming that day, so I was excited about that, but I
was also all keyed up about my adventures the night before.  I wanted to do
it again, but now it was daylight out, and there were a whole bunch of
people in the halls.  I decided I'd better not walk the halls in the nude
with so many people around, but I did manage to convince Michiyo to come
down with me to the outdoor bath before breakfast.  She went to the indoor
bath first, and then came down to meet me.  When I got there, there wasn't
anyone there, so I stripped off my yukata, and started walking around in my
bare scuddy taking pictures of the bath, the park and everything.  There
was a chance that people across the way might be watching, but I didn't
care.  I wanted to enjoy this while I had the chance.

   Michiyo came down, and I got her to take some pictures of me naked in
the bath and around the edges.  I even managed to talk her into letting me
take some pictures of her, but she was really shy and half covered herself
with her towel.  When she went to change, I snuck a couple of pictures of
her bottom though.  She noticed, and pretended to be upset, but I think
that secretly she was enjoying it too, being photographed like that.  She's
thin, and her skin is so white, but I think she has a good body too.  If
her parents weren't so strict, I'm sure she could find a nice boyfriend.

   Just as Michiyo and I were putting our yukatas on, a young man, probably
the boyfriend of one of the girls we'd met the night before, showed up. 
Michiyo grabbed her stuff, and headed back up the corridor, but he gave me
this really disappointed look at having missed seeing us naked.  He was
kind of cute, so I thought of staying, but it was time for breakfast, so I
just ended up following Michiyo back up to our room.

   We had breakfast, and then Michiyo and Debbie got packed and ready,
while I went to the women's indoor bath to shampoo, and dry my hair.  When
I got back, they'd already taken their luggage downstairs.  I pulled on
jeans and a t-shirt, went down, and saw them off, but I still had to wait
for Ryosuke to show up.  They thanked me for organizing the trip, and said
they'd had a good time.  I was sorry to see them go, but I knew Debbie was
anxious to get back to Tokyo to her boyfriend.

   After they left, I came back up to the room, and sat there for a while
looking out at the view.  I pulled back the sheers to take a few more
pictures, and this got me wondering if the people down below could see me.
The sheers were thin and silky white.  From this side, they looked almost
see-through, but I thought maybe, no one would be able to see in because
our room was so much darker.  I went to the bathroom, and took off my
clothes again.  I just couldn't resist the urge to go back out into the
room naked, and take a peek out the window.  At first, I stood hiding
behind the wall, but out the side window, I could see the whole town in the
valley with cars and buses going by on the main street.

   I peeked around the corner, and I could see one of the girls from the
day before coming out into the parking lot with her boyfriend.  I felt so
naughty to be standing here naked just a few yards from them.  I touched my
breasts, and that sent a shiver up my spine.  I touched myself a little,
you know, down there.  It was like I couldn't stop myself anymore.

   I walked right out to the middle of the window looking down at them.  I
almost had a heart attack when the guy turned this way, but luckily, he
didn't look up.  I couldn't believe it.  Here I was standing stark naked,
horny as anything, right in the middle of the window, and he didn't even
notice.  I felt like I was invisible.  Almost as if to check, I pulled
aside the sheers.  I spread my legs, and struck my sexiest pose.  I was so
nervous though I couldn't stop shaking.  I must have gone crazy, because if
the guy had glanced up, he would have seen me for sure.

   Then I suddenly realized what I was doing was crazy.  I ran back to the
bathroom.  I couldn't calm down though.  Soon I came back out, and danced
around in the nude by the windows.  I don't think anyone saw me, but I was
taking a terrible chance.  Looking back, it's kind of hard to explain why I
did that, but at the time, it seemed so exciting.

   Eventually, I realized it was almost eleven, so I tried to calm back
down.  I quickly got dressed, took my bags down to the front desk, and
checked out.

   Ryosuke showed up a bit past eleven.  I thought about telling him about
my adventures, but decided to hold off.  I didn't want him to think I'd
gone crazy.  He gave me a kiss, and I blushed embarrassed.  We got in the
car, his dad's, and drove down the coast.  He seemed in a good mood though.
This was our big chance to finally be alone together.  It's not every day
we get to take a trip like this.  I just kept looking over at him and
smiling shyly.  This was going to be fun.

   Anyway, I guess I'd better stop here for now, and tell you the rest next
time.  Talk to you soon.

   Emi Tsuruta
/~emitsuruta/