You don't just jump into the tub but immerse yourself slowly in little bits and pieces, steep and watch your skin turn a redder and redder. I never could stay in that tub more than 5 minutes without becoming nauseous from the heat. Out of the tub, clothes on and clop back to the Ryokan.

We were at this guesthouse for two nights and ex-Marine said the "mama-san" who ran the bathhouse was extremely excited to "see" American men and would come sit in the ofuro to check them out, genitally that is;

- Bathroom etiquette in a Ryokan. You don't have a private toilet and share the communal, immaculately clean squat toilets. The routine was - enter the toilet room, take off your "inside Ryokan sandals" and switch to the pair of "toilet sandals" at the doorway. Use the facilities, and change back into your "inside sandals" when leaving. I created major loss of face for the group by always forgetting about the damn sandals and appearing at dinner wearing the "toilet sandals." Bad Sheila;

- Yukata/kimonos. Staying in a Ryokan solves any clothing problems you may encounter. You can survive on minimal clothes since all dinners are eaten in your kimono supplied by the Ryokan;

- Wearing shoes inside. Shoes and boots are always removed when entering and left on racks. Put on the soft slippers/sandals supplied by the lodging.

- Your room. Ours was usually a sparsely furnished, small tatami-matted double room. Tatami mats are woven from soft rush straw and traditionally packed with rice straw. Bedding was either piled up in a corner or stored in a small closet area. At night, we'd haul the mattress (futon) out, lay it directly on the tatami floors, along with traditional Japanese pillows filled with red beans or buckwheat chaff, and heavy quilted covers. In the morning, the bedding is folded and stored back in the closet.

It was very comfortable but it took a while to get used to the hard pillows.

The Grand Sumo Tournaments were taking place during the trip and each guesthouse/ryokan owner would plant themselves in the front of the television nightly, completely absorbed in the outcome. Japan is the only country that Sumo wrestling is practiced professionally. It wasn't long before we joined them and became equally rapt watching these giants once we learned the intricacies of Sumo wrestling from Kate.

A few of the rituals are throwing salt around the ring, leg stomping to drive out evil spirits before the two massive opponents stare each other down and charge trying to throw the opponent out of the ring. Matches only last seconds so it was never boring. Years later, ex-Marine and I were sitting in a Mongolian airport when Asashoryu, the great Mongolian sumo champion, lumbered through after his recent marriage. Impossible to mistake a 139 kg/308 lb person (and he's considered a lightweight) wearing the typical Samurai topknot, wooden sandals and a thin cotton yukata for an ordinary person no matter what country you're in! Not an everyday sight...