Hot Spring Christmas Part 4 of 4
By Emi Tsuruta

My cousin Namie and I were finally coming to our last stop, Gero hot spring in Gifu prefecture far to the west of Tokyo.  We left early in the morning taking a bus back to Shuuzenji, a train to Mishima and then the bullet train to Nagoya, and a couple more local trains north from there.  We tried to make the transfers as quickly as possible, but even so, it was past supper time when we finally got there.  I knew that Gero is famous for its hot springs, but it wasn't at all like I expected.  It's not that big a city I guess, but it has a sort of big city feel with lots of tallish grey concrete buildings just around the train station, sort of like Manhattan in New York.  We walked down across this bridge over a river, and found our hotel.  It was a cheaper place, sort of like a cross between a business hotel and a youth hostel.  We'd spent a small fortune on Dogashima, so it was probably just as well that we were staying some place cheaper.  We found a ramen shop, and had some supper.  By the time we got back to the hotel, it was after dark.

An older man at the front counter gave us our keys.  We took this really small elevator upstairs, and in the hall on the way to our room, there were quite a few boys sitting in their doorways chatting.  They looked young, around high school age.  They quietened down when we walked by, but once we were inside our room, they let out this great whooping yell.  Namie looked at me a bit surprised.  Clearly, we were a hit.  I guess not many girls stay in this kind of hotel.

We looked around our room, but there didn't seem to be any yukatas for us to wear.  I wanted to take a bath, but it was too late to go looking for the outdoor bath.  We decided to try the indoor women's bath in the hotel.  I changed into shorts and a t-shirt, and Namie put on her velvety track suit she uses like pj's.  When we stepped out into the hall, one of the boys called over to us.

"Where are you two lovelies from?"  His voice had a thick Kansai accent.  He sounded a bit like Hitoshi Matsumoto, a famous television comedian from Kobe - sort of confident, cocky, a bit sarcastic maybe.

"California," I joked.

"Tokyo," Namie said.

"You're American?  You don't look American," he joked back, getting up and coming this way.  Namie tugged on my arm, obviously not wanting to talk with them.  "Aren't Americans supposed to be tall and blonde with blue eyes?"

"There are people like me too," I teased back.  Namie finally took my arm, and pulled me away, but we almost tripped over a boy in glasses lying on the floor behind us.

"Oops," he said.

"I'm Kazu, and that's Tomohiro," the comedian said pointing at his friend.  For some reason, Namie was kind of spooked by all this, so she quickly dragged me off to the stairwell.  "Hey, at least tell us your names," Kazu called after us.

"Maybe later," I called back as Namie pulled me through the door.

"What do you think you're doing?  Don't talk to them," Namie scolded me.

"What?  I thought they were kind of cute."

"I thought you already have a boyfriend."

"Relax.  I was just curious; that's all.  You have to admit they're some of the friendliest people we've met so far this trip."

She didn't say anything, but anyway, we went off to look for the bath.  We couldn't find any signs saying which floor the women's bath was on, so we went back down to the front desk.  Unfortunately, the old man told us that it was late, so he'd already turned off the hot water in the women's bath.

"Is the men's bath still on?" I asked.

"Yeah, but there are a whole bunch of school boys staying here tonight, so that wouldn't do.  I'll tell you what.  I'll refund you 500 yen, and you can go down the street to use the public bath."

Namie and I looked at each other.  It had been a long trip, and neither of us wanted to go all the way back outside.  I asked him again, if he'd turn the water back on, but he just said no.  We reluctantly took the money, and headed back upstairs.

"Hey, what happened?" Kazu asked when he saw us.

"The girl's baths are closed, so he wants us to go out to the public bath."

"You can use the boy's one here.  We don't mind."

I looked at Namie, but she just scowled.

"Thanks, but no thanks."

"No, no, I'm serious," Kazu insisted.  "Most of us go to the same school, so I can just ask the other guys to clear out till you're done."

I looked at Namie again.  Tomohiro adjusted his glasses glancing back and forth between Namie and me.  He had kind of an earnest looking face.  Namie didn't seem too keen about this idea, but we had to do something.  I finally convinced her to try.  We waited outside the bath while Kazu and Tomohiro gathered up their classmates and got them to come out of the bath.  At first, they were grumbling a bit, but when they saw us they brightened up.  One boy bowed, and motioned for us to go in.

"It's all yours, ladies."

Namie and I went in, but she kept checking the door over and over to make sure they weren't trying to peek in.

"Kazu and Tomohiro are still out there!" she told me, obviously worried.

"Relax.  They're just guarding the door.  It'll be OK I think.  Kazu seemed like a real gentleman."  For some reason, Kazu reminded me of my own boyfriend Ryosuke.  Ryosuke has the same kind of helpful take-charge personality.

Anyway, Namie finally got undressed, and we sat down on the stools to shower off.  The bath wasn't nearly as nice as the last place we'd been, but the water was warm, and it was clean enough.  We quickly showered, and got in the tub.  Namie lay back, and let out a deep sigh.

"It's been a long day," she said.

"Are you thirsty?" I asked.

"Nah, I'm OK."

"OK, just a sec.  I'm just going to dash out, and bring back something to drink.  I'll be right back."

Namie looked at me a bit worried about what I was going to do, but she was apparently too comfortable to get up.

"Be careful," she called after me.  Back in the change room, I picked up my towel, and wrapped it around me.  It wasn't quite long enough to tie in a knot, so I just pinned the two ends to my side with my upper arm.  It seemed to be just long enough to cover my private bits, but I felt terribly naughty standing there without anything on underneath.

I picked up my wallet, and tiptoed over to the door, my heart beating away pitter pat.  Kazu and Tomohiro were relaxing on a bench just across the hall, next to the drink machine.

"Umm," I called out.  "Do you mind if I just quickly get a drink?"

They both straightened up when they saw me, staring down at my bare thighs, perhaps already wondering if I was naked underneath my towel.

"N-n-no, not at all.  G-g-go ahead," Kazu stammered.  The two of them looked just as nervous as I felt.  I took a deep breath, walked out across to the machine, and opened my change purse to get out some money.  Kazu stood up like a shot, and came over next to me.  I slid a 100 yen coin into the machine, but I didn't have any tens, so Kazu gallantly fished out his wallet, and put two in for me.  I nodded my thanks, and grinned shyly.  I pushed the button for honey and lemon, but when the can came down the shute, I realized if I bent forward to get it, I'd probably end up exposing my bare bottom to them or worse.

"Could you...?" I asked Kazu, nodding at the opening.  He leaned over, fished the can out, and handed it to me.  I went to go back to the change room, but Kazu stopped me.

"Why don't you drink it here?" he suggested hopefully.

Tomohiro stood up offering me a space on the bench.  I wasn't sure if this was such a good idea, but they were both being so gallant, I eventually sat down.  The slit running up my side split apart exposing my hip all the way up to my underarm.  It was obvious I wasn't wearing anything underneath.  I locked my legs together, feeling incredibly embarrassed, but then Kazu said,

"Those are interesting slippers.  Where did you get them?"

I leaned forward to look at them.  However, as I did, I lost my grip on the back end of the towel, causing it to fall open, exposing my back all the way down to my bare little bottom.  It looked like neither of them had noticed yet, but I was starting to feel distinctly naked.  I pulled the towel up to make sure it was stilling covering my breasts, and took another deep breath before answering.

"Do you like them?  I found them in this little souvenir shop in Asakusa.  They weren't expensive at all.  I guess you're supposed to wear them with a yukata," I babbled on, so nervous I didn't know what I was saying anymore.  Then another man, more around my age, came out from the stairwell.

"Ooo, Ebihara!" Kazu called to him.  "Come over here.  There's someone I want you to meet."

He came walking over looking down at me curiously.

"This Is Ebihara, our tutor.  This is... umm..." Kazu was trying to introduce me, but he didn't know my name.  Without really thinking, I stood up, and bowed to him.

"Emi Tsuruta.  Nice to meet you."  I looked back at Tomohiro and Kazu, and immediately realized I'd made a horrible mistake.  They were both standing there staring at my back open-mouthed.  In the confusion, I'd forgotten that my towel had come undone, and they were both staring at my round little bottom, open for all to see.  "Ooops!  Uh, I guess I'd better go," I blurted out.  I picked up my drink, and ran back to the change room, almost losing my towel completely in the process.

"Wow!" they cried out.  They'd seen me for sure.  Once I was safely back in the change room, I pulled the towel right off, so excited I was shaking.  I couldn't believe I'd just flashed them all.  How could I do something so foolish?  On the other hand, I guess it was kind of thrilling.  All three of them were pretty handsome guys.

Once I'd managed to calm back down, I went in to the bath, and climbed back in.

"What happened?" Namie asked.

"Oh nothing.  I just bought a drink," I said showing it to her.  I didn't want to get her all upset.  It was no big deal really.  I guess I should have been more careful, but at least they haven't followed me into the change room.  Maybe they are gentlemen after all.

Anyway, soon we got out of the bath, got dressed, and went back out.  The three of them were kind of staring at me wide-eyed even now that I was back in my clothes.

"Sorry," I apologized to them.

"No problem," Kazu said cheerfully.  The three of them walked back up with us, but Kazu told us Ebihara lived on another floor, so eventually, they chased him away.  I bowed him good night, but he still had this silly grin on his face.  I rubbed my forehead, regretting a bit having flashed him.

Namie tucked in early, but I sat out in the hall chatting with Kazu and Tomohiro till quite late.  They were indeed high school students - seniors getting ready for their university entrance exams.  This was a last spurt seminar.  Ebihara went to the same high school, but he was in university now.  I told them all about Oceanview University and my entrance exams, and they seemed fascinated.  They both said they wanted to study abroad some day.  I'm not sure if they meant it, but anyway, they both seemed quite taken with me.  Eventually, though, we had to go to sleep, but I promised to talk to them some more the next day.

The next morning, the two of them were waiting for us when we came out.  They invited us to breakfast, and took us down to a local eatery they'd found.  Namie seemed pretty wary of them at first, but when she found out we'd been talking about entrance exams, she started sharing her stories too.  She had all these little strategies for getting herself up for the exams, and avoiding distractions.  I was surprised because I never realized she took school that seriously.  Eventually, the conversation turned to Gero.

"Do you know anything about the hot springs here?" I asked.

"There's one down by the river," Kazu told us.

"We were thinking of going down, and taking a look," I said, trying to sound like it was no big deal.  Namie looked at me suspiciously obviously not so keen on all of us going down together.

"OK, we'll take you down," Kazu burbled happily.  Tomohiro nodded.

"Don't you have to study?" Namie asked.

"Nah, we've been studying all week."

Namie still didn't look keen on having them join us, but anyway, she didn't say anything about it.  I could tell she had more or less decided not to go into the bath.  Of course, I felt nervous about going in with these two guys we barely knew, but on the other hand, I was wondering a bit what they might look like naked.  Tomohiro was slender, more the studious type, but Kazu looked pretty athletic.  They probably had quite handsome bodies, I decided.

After breakfast, the four of us went back to our rooms, and got our stuff.  Outside, it was nice and sunny, but still pretty brisk.  We saw a few people and cars on the main street, but once we got down to the river, there didn't seem to be too many people around.  Standing on the bridge, I finally caught sight of a pool down on the flood plain below.

"Is that it?" I asked pointing.

"Yep," Kazu nodded.  We climbed down the bank to take a closer look.  The bath looked nice enough, smooth stones and steam rising off the top, but it was right out in the open with no walls at all, not even a change room.

"Do people actually use this bath?" Namie asked in disbelief.  Kazu and I kneeled down, and checked the water.

"It's warm," I noted.  I started looking all around.  Across the river was a ten-storey office building.  I couldn't see any of the lights on, but in some of the other buildings further down, there were some signs of life.  "So what do you say?  Do you want to go in?" I asked trying to sound innocent.

Namie glared at me, unable to believe that I was even suggesting we all go in together.  Kazu and Tomohiro looked a little nervous too, but they were obviously weighing it in their minds.  It seemed pretty obvious that they wanted to see me naked again.

"It is a bath, after all," I went on.

Namie's eyes were flashing 'no, no, no.'  Tomohiro had a silly grin on his face, but Kazu cocked his head, trying to gauge if I was serious.

"You mean you want to bathe here?  Did you bring a bathing suit or something?"

I shook my head no.

"What's wrong?" I said.  "The whole reason we came to Gero was to try the hot springs."

"Are there any other hot springs nearby?" Namie asked hopefully.

"There are some in the hotels, but I think you might have to be a guest to use them," Kazu said.  Namie fished out a guidebook, and started leafing through.  I didn't know anything about other places, but pretty clearly this was the place Ryosuke had intended to bring me.  This was just like him - an outdoor bath way out in the open in the middle of town.  I was getting butterflies in my tummy, but I undid my scarf, and took it off.  They all looked a bit surprised that I was actually planning on stripping here with all these buildings around.  I turned my back on the boys, took off my backpack and coat, and set them down on the snow.

For all my bravado though, I have to admit I was kind of scared.  Some of the buildings near us seemed to be hotels, and it was hard to tell if anyone was watching or not.  I decided not to think about it, and unzipped my boots, and slid them off.  The snow was so cold on my stockinged feet.  I glanced back at the boys, and they were just standing there still staring at me.

"Let's just go back to the indoor one," Namie implored.

"That wasn't a spring.  That was just tap water," I answered.

"Then let's go find a spring."

"No, come on.  Let's just go in here.  Just for a second.  The water feels really nice."

Kazu looked over at Tomohiro to see what he said.  There was a long silence, and then finally, Kazu stood up, and took off his jacket.

"What the hell?  Why not?  You only live once."

I smiled at him, and started taking off my sweater.  Namie was having a complete bird.  As I got my sweater off, I started to wish that they did have a changing hut.  The town was surprisingly quiet, but even so every once in a while, a car drove across the bridge not so far from the bath.  I guess it really didn't matter though.  With a bath like this, people were bound to see me regardless of what I did.  Still how was I going to convince Namie?

"Emi!" she shouted.

Namie looked over at the boys with this worried expression.

"Hundreds of people bathe here, don't they Kazu?" I asked.  Namie came closer, and whispered in my ear.

"I don't think I can do this, Emi.  I mean we barely know these guys."

I pulled her off to the side, away from the boys who were now both getting undressed.

"Oh, come on.  Just try.  Remember what I said about loosening up?  Living a little?  I talked with them for a long time last night.  They seem like really nice guys.  I'm pretty sure we can trust them."

Namie didn't look convinced at all.  She sat down on one of the rocks with her back to us.

"You guys go in.  I'll just stand guard."

Kazu and Tomohiro were down to their shorts, but I wasn't so keen on going in without Namie.

"Namie, come on.  I can't do this without you."

"Then get back dressed."

"No.  Please?  For me?.  Pretty please.  I'll make it up to you.  I swear."

She glanced over at me, her eyes still suspicious.

"Why is this so important to you?"

"You've got to admit you've had fun this week."  I glanced  back at the boys.  They were squatting down to keep warm, apparently too afraid to take off their shorts.  They were peering over this way curious about what we were talking about.  "Look at them.  Do they look dangerous to you?"

She finally looked over, and then laughed.

"I guess not, but Emi!  For heaven's sake, look at this place.  Those buildings could be filled with people."

"Who have probably seen it all before.  Relax.  Come on.  Please.  It'll be fun."

Namie looked over at the boys and back at me.

"I've told you a million times, but you're crazy.  Do you know that?"  She stood up, and took off her scarf.  I wasn't sure, but I took that to be a yes.  When we looked back at the guys, they were holding their towels in front of them, and slipping off their shorts.  As I suspected, Kazu had a great body - muscular, young, healthy.  They both slid into the bath, and set their towels down on the edge.

"The water's beautiful," Kazu said.  They were both watching us now.  Namie was kind of hiding behind me.  She was obviously waiting to follow my lead, but I didn't feel so brave anymore.  Maybe I should just get back dressed.  I've seen them nude.  "Aren't you girls coming in?" Kazu asked.

I sniffed, and took a deep breath.  I've been to nude beaches before.  I've been skinny-dipping.  I can do this, I told myself.  I unbuckled my belt, and undid the top button on my jeans.  Namie was staring at me her eyes wide in amazement.  I nodded for her to get undressed too, and then pulled down my jeans.  The boys started wolf-whistling at the sight of my bare legs, sending shivers up my spine.  I turned my back to them, and then stepped out of my panties.  The morning air was so cold, but I honestly didn't care.  I was just so excited being naked I couldn't think straight anymore.  I pulled off my blouse, my t-shirt and my halter bra.  I was completely naked in the middle of this big sprawling town.  I could feel people watching, people in the buildings not so far off, but I just walked right over to the edge of the bath, and stood there a moment, giving Kazu and Tomo a good look at my body.  I could feel an orgasm coming on, and boy was it going to be a doozy.

I looked back at Namie, but she was just standing there, unable to believe what I was doing.  I hurried back to her, and helped her take off her coat.

"Hurry up.  I'm freezing," I said.

Back up on the bridge, there were people walking by, and they'd obviously spotted us.  They were gathering at the rail and pointing at me, this crazy girl running around nude in the middle of town.  Hearing them call out was just getting me more excited.  Namie was panicking though, covering her mouth as she looked up at them.  The boys were looking over at us, expectantly, obviously curious as to what Namie looked like naked.  I felt really strange, but I just kept on helping her pull off her clothes.  The pre-shocks of an orgasm hit me, but I fought them off.  Namie looked at me in horror, perhaps suspecting what had happened.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"I'm fine.  Let's just get in the bath."

I finally got her underwear off.  Namie raised her eyebrows high, perhaps feeling the same exhilaration that was nipping at every inch of my naked body.  I scurried over to the bath, and waded in.  Namie was right behind me holding her towel in front of her.

"Wow!" the two boys exclaimed clearly appreciating how we looked.  I dipped my body into the water, but then stood back up, on some kind of natural high.  I don't know why, but I was just so horny, unable to control myself.  It was like the whole week had been building toward this.  Then, we heard a loud voice calling down from the bridge.

"What are you kids doing down there?"  It was an older man with a trench coat and an officer's hat.  At first, I thought he was a policeman, so I sunk down into the bath to hide.  As he came closer, we could see the uniform looked more like a security guard's.  Kazu finally spoke up.

"Sorry sir.  We just came down for a bath."

The man was staring straight at me.  He looked kind of annoyed, perhaps upset that I'd been flashing my body at practically the whole town.

"I don't know where you kids are from, but I want you to know we run a respectable town here.  We don't like any funny business around here."  He had a very rustic accent, hard to understand, but it sounded like he was angry.  I bowed my head in apology, and then the others bowed too.

"Sorry," we mumbled.

"Who are you anyway?" he said still looking right at me.  Kazu crawled over, and grabbed his towel, tying it around his waist.

"Oh her.  She's uh... she's from the States.  She doesn't really know the rules around here."

"The States, huh?  She ain't one of them traveling performers, is she?  Like a stripper or something?"

Namie gasped in shock.  I wasn't so surprised though.  I guess I had it coming.

"No, no.  She's a university student, and a good one too.  She was helping us study for our exams."  Kazu was quite the talker.  I was really impressed with how he was handling this man.

"A university student?  I don't think I ever seen such a stunningly beautiful young lady."

I was a bit surprised  to hear this.  Suddenly he was changing his tune.

"You sure you ain't an actress?" he asked me.  I was about to answer, when Kazu said,

"Oh, she doesn't speak Japanese.  Like I told you, she's an American."

I blushed, nervous at this lie, but I realized that Kazu was just trying to protect me.  The guy apparently took him seriously.

"Nice body," he said in English.  "You like Japanese?"

I let out a giggle, but then went quiet.  I'd better be careful here.  Kazu got up out of the bath, and put his hand on the man's shoulder, herding him away from us.

"Anyway, sir, we'd better get going.  Sorry to have bothered you."

"Oh, no.  It ain't no bother.  I just wanted to protect you lovely ladies here.  You never know what kind of strange men you'll meet in these here parts."

I laughed again, and even Namie cracked a smile.  Kazu managed to escort the old man back towards the bridge.  I quickly stood up, and made a dash for my towel.  The man kept peering over his shoulder at me, but I turned my back to him, and dried off as quickly as I could.  I still felt excited, but the moment had passed.  I motioned for Namie to come back out, and get dressed too.  This was a bit of a crazy place to bathe.

I'm not really sure how many people saw us that day, but it must have been quite a few.  One good thing about that guy showing up is that it kind of took the edge off what could have been an awkward situation.  Namie didn't even seem that upset with me for talking her into it.

Once we were all back dressed, we went to the train station, and bought some lunch.  We exchanged email addresses with Kazu and Tomohiro and wished them well with their exams.  They kept thanking us over and over again for all we'd done.  On the train back, Namie seemed in a really good mood.

"What are you grinning about?" I asked.

"I don't know.  I guess it was kind of fun.  Thanks for inviting me."

I smiled back.  Maybe the two if us are more alike than I thought.


Emi Tsuruta
My web site:
http://www.asstr.org/~emitsuruta/
