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Zip:377-1711
541 Kusatsu Spa Gunma-pref Japan
tel:81-0279-88-2871@ FAX : 81-279-88-6509
Call Gary Y.Nakazawa, manager



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uGood Breathing and Healthv



It won't kill you to go without food for a day or two, but that's definitely not the case with breathing! It's totally essential to breathe well in order to stay healthy. Luckily for us, our forefathers knew this and taught us the proper way to breathe. We've gathered together the following information based on their wisdom, so please do take a look and try to give it some thought.

EThe system of jikan-yu (timed bathing). First of all we pray to the household gods. Next, we sing the Kusatsu song whilst beating the hot spring water with yumomi-ita paddles (i.e. performing yumomi). Then, in order to get used to the heat of the bath, we pour spring water over our heads twenty or thirty-odd times. With this, our pre-bathing ritual is complete and we enter the bath for exactly three minutes. All these processes are planned to concentrate on the spirit. Our heart is relaxed at first, but then when we sing and when we are in the bath we naturally start to breathe from the abdomen, and in this way, our brains are invigorated. Also, the effect of aspiring steam has long been known as an effective treatment for ailments such as asthma.

E We recommend taking walks.Kusatsu is on high land and receives strong sunlight, so it's perfect for taking walks in the woods. When you feel good, you naturally take deeper breaths, so through walking you can invigorate your brain - an absolutely essential part of any natural treatment.

E We recommend taking tea breaks: Tea breaks stimulate friendly, fun conversation between friends undergoing the same long-term treatment. When you laugh, you breathe from the abdomen, and this in turn invigorates the brain. All of the above are part of the daily routine when you come for a hot spring cure.

E Yawning:A naturally occurring biological reaction.Yawning arouses the nerves. Yawns are deep breaths which you take naturally and unconsciously. Reading the sutras, meditation, and the traditional Japanese martial arts such as archery etc are all ways of training yourself to exhale properly and take relaxed breaths. Through making conscious efforts to breathe using the abdomen you can relax your nerves.

very important. People nowadays are slowly becoming aware of how poor they are at breathing, and are making a conscious effort to change this. They say the process is like unpeeling a thin layer of skin, but what you can actually experience is the feeling of becoming gradually more and more healthy.

Now that you know that healthiness comes from good breathing, you really ought to start breathing well. Correct breathing comes from the abdomen and makes you feel good- it lowers your center of gravity, calming your nerves and making your whole being more stable.

Let's return to the topic of thanking the household gods before participating in jikan-yu. This has nothing to do with any local religion. Thanking the household gods has been a natural part of bathing culture all through Japanese history and serves to calm the participants down. Our particular system was developed naturally in Kusatsu Hot Spring, so it would be inappropriate to worship Mary or Christ here. During this long, important part of the hot spring cure, the cure is introduced and the development of the participant's heart is measured. This is the true aim of the hot spring cure - in archery we are taught that through our art we get closer to the gods, and this is also known as our personal development. (Martial arts such as archery are considered different to other regular sports).

Like many other things in life, a hot spring cure is something that one may not necessarily understand, yet by physically experiencing it many times we come to understand it better. This is true treatment, true breathing, the true way and the true meaning of good health.

@@@@@@@@@@@@Kusatsu Hot Spring, Kirishimaya Ryokan, Director Ph.D.Yoshiaki Nakazawa
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