Whether visiting the museums and memorials of Hiroshima or the temples, pagodas and shrines of Nikko, there is one sure way of winding down at the end of the day. A visit to an onsen.

The onsen is a bath, which may be a public bath or a smaller, more intimate affair. It is a product of the volcanic activity which continues across Japan, producing many hot springs as well as the occasional earthquake. It is also reflected in the landscape which is flat with hills and mountains rising up from the flatlands – like Holland with hills.

Once you arrive there is clear etiquette. Bathers are expected to wash down before getting into the bath. The bath is not a place for washing in! Showers are provided with low stools to sit on, soap and shampoo. Only then is it time to join other bathers in the deep hot waters of the bath.

In our ryokan – a small hotel or guest house – in Hiroshima, the onsen are public baths, with separate bathing for men and women. Even the route to and from the baths are different, with men invited to take the stairs to their baths on the 4th floor, and women invited to take the lift to their baths on the 5th. As newcomers we are learning from a group of young Japanese women and observe what they do discreetly. They, however, show signs of embarrassment and uncertainty which suggest that they, too, are learners.

In Nikko, our small hotel has small baths with room for one or two bathers. The water is naturally hot spring water for which we pay 150 yen spring water tax. The water has a buoyancy which takes me by surprise. As do the queues – it seems there is always someone waiting to take the waters.