The freedom of naked watersliding may be fun in theory, but in practice…

Japan is full of historic landmarks, modern wonders, and pieces of world heritage. But there are also thousands of hidden gems off the beaten path like Japan’s longest-running (adult) movie theater or a real Tibetan Buddhist temple.

Our reporter Takashi Harada heard of one more tucked-away destination rumored to be a public bathhouse with its very own full-scale waterslide. Its name was Onsen Tengoku Yotsuyanoyu (Hot Spring Heaven [Yotsuya location]) and it could be found in Takaoka City, Toyama Prefecture, where our reporter dutifully headed to confirm the existence of this nude waterslide.

The building had a real retro look to it and was certainly weathered by age and the constant humidity inside. Takashi thought the name “hot spring heaven” was a little misleading for this moldy concrete structure, but sure enough, the fabled waterslide could be seen on the back side of the complex.

There’s only one slide onsite, and while this place, like most public baths, has separate men’s and women’s sections, only the Y-chromos get to play on the waterslide at this establishment. Nevertheless, the place was quite busy, especially since it was the middle of the day on a holiday. Takashi paid the 550 yen (US$5) bathing fee which would include access to the waterslide as well.

▼ “Under 3: 100 yen”, “4 years old and elementary school students: 270 yen”, “Junior high students and up: 550 yen”

Of course, given the rampant nudity within, photography was prohibited inside the bathing area. So Takashi drew a map of the premises to give you an idea.

The waterslide ran from the second floor down to the first and emptied into a bath (or pool?) large enough to accommodate people flying into it at high speeds.

And speeds were apparently quite high as Takashi had witnessed. One boy was repeatedly going down the slide giving our reporter a good chance to see how it worked. Every time he would hit the pool of water with a great deal of force.

He seemed okay, but Takashi couldn’t help but wonder if the force of his delicate area directly slamming into a body of water at such speeds might affect his chances of producing children in the future. Had this been a causal visit to Onsen Tengoku, he probably would have passed on it altogether, but the waterslide was the sole reason he came. There would be no backing down.

Takashi climbed the stairs to the entrance of the slide. It was then that he realized the water was cold as well. This meant the entire pool at the bottom would also be cold, adding a thermal shock to the physical onslaught he was putting his manhood in front of.

A sudden urge to walk away took hold of Takashi, but he had a job to do, so he swallowed his fear and jumped into the tunnel…

Takashi was moving even faster than he had expected, and despite the liberating feeling of being totally naked while zooming down the pipe, he was gripped with a fear of friction should his exposed skin come into contact with the dry section of the slide.

He tried to stay in once place, but before he could even do anything, the slide was finished and his naked body was dumped into the cold pool.

It turned out okay in the end, but Takashi still didn’t really see the appeal. It wasn’t until later that he overheard some locals mention that the whole purpose of the slide was to cool off after spending time in the sauna on the second floor. That seemed reasonable to Takashi – ridiculously overdramatic, but reasonable.

He also noticed a few other older guys like him go down the slide, and occasionally a guy would suffer some friction burns on his butt, so indeed caution is advised while using a waterslide naked…if that didn’t already need to be said.

Like other unique travel spots in Japan such as the mystical Yabuzuka Quarry Ruins and peculiar tomb of Christ, Onsen Tengoku Yotsuyanoyu is a little out of the way and would probably require a car or taxi from the nearest station to access. But if it’s been your dream to go down a waterslide naked, then it’s certainly worth the effort.

Bathhouse Information
Onsen Tengoku Yotsuyanoyu / 温泉天国 よつやのゆ
Toyama-ken, Takaoka-shi, Yotsuya 672-2
富山県高岡市四屋672−2
Hours: 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Open 7 days a week

Images: SoraNews24
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