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 Introduction:
In the last few years there has been some debate in Hokkaido
about 'Japanese Only' hot springs. In Otaru,
some onsen have limited non-Japanese from
going into the baths because, they say, the
foreigners don't know how to use the baths
in the correct way.
A group of international
families visiting some hot springs in Otaru
were turned away. Their story first hit the newspaper on September 21, 1999.
The group tried to talk with the Hot Springs
and with the city of Otaru. Some of the onsens
changed their policy, but one refused. After
many attempts, some of the non-Japanese members
took the Onsen and the City to court.
Do you think hot springs should be for Japanese
only?
Reading
Check out the Otaru Lawsuit Information Site .
This website is about the court case that occured between
the people who were turned away and the onsen
owners and the city of Otaru.
Questions
- What was your initial reaction when you read
about this topic?
- What are the Onsen's reasons for turning
away non-Japanese customers?
- Do you think all non-Japanese behave in this
way?
Pre-Writing
With a partner, write a list of reasons for
and against letting non-Japanese into the
hot spring.
Paragraph Writing
The plaintiffs won their lawsuit against the onsen, but not against
the city. But the Onsen is appealing the judges' decision, and
Debito is appealing against the ruling that Otaru city has no
responsibility to make the bathhouse change its policy.
Do you think the plaintiffs will win? Write a short paragraph explaining
why or why not.
Refer to these pages for tips on writing
a logical paragraph.
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