ooedo onsen monogatari

Ooedo Onsen Monogatari - Odaiba, Tokyo, Japan

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Do you want a relaxing day at an onsen with an Edo Period twist? Then you won’t want to miss Ooedo Onsen Monogatari in Odaiba, Tokyo, Japan. Yes, this is an onsen, but they also have restaurants with a food court, shops, carnival games, and even an outdoor foot bath garden… all decorated like the Japanese Edo Period.

When you first enter, you’ll remove your shoes and go check in. Just a warning, they do not allow patrons with tattoos inside, but they also don’t check to make sure you don’t have tattoos. I’m sure if it’s obvious, then you won’t be allowed to enter. Once you check in, you’ll go to the yukata counter and pick out the design of Yukata that you want to wear. A yukata is like a light-weight kimono in a way. They have many designs to choose from for both men and women. I chose a fun bright yellow-green yukata with orange flowers.

Next, you’ll head to the dressing rooms. There are separate dressing rooms for men and women. There, you’ll change into your yukata and put your belongings into a personal locker. Next, you can enter the main hall.

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The main hall is a big indoor courtyard. It feels like you’ve been transported back in time to an Edo Period town square, complete with quaint storefronts, wooden towers, and colorful paper lanterns. We went to one of the quick service restaurants and ordered some food to eat in the courtyard (kind of like a food court area) before heading outside to the foot bath.

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Outside, there is a beautiful Japanese garden with a relaxing foot bath. This is mixed gender and everyone is fully clothed, unlike the onsen/baths themselves. This is just to relax outdoors and socialize while you soak your feet in some hot, steamy water. The foot bath is shaped like a stream that winds through the garden. The bottom of the stream has different shaped rocks and textures that we were challenging each other to walk through. Some of the sections are meant to hit certain pressure points in your feet, so we were laughing as we tried to walk across some of the pointy stones. Then, we sat and chatted with friends along the side of the stream.

On this visit, we chose not to go to the onsen/bath itself. We had a rather large group and were running short on time. We did, however, check out the shops and carnival before we left. One of the shops sold Gudetama water, which I couldn’t resist buying (if you’ve read my Gudatama Cafe post, you know how obsessed I am).

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Finally, it was time to leave. We changed back into our normal clothes, turned in our yukata to the checkout area, and picked up our belongings from the locker. This was a great experience, family friendly, and overall a really festive atmosphere. I definitely recommend Ooedo Onsen. Check it out next time you’re in Tokyo!