00:01
Welcome to Kevin's English Room Podcast.
Hello.
Hello, guys.
So, go ahead, man.
Go ahead.
Oh, no, no, no.
沖縄のクリスマスと銭湯文化
I went to Okinawa.
Oh, shit.
Yeah.
Oh, wait, for your live?
Yes.
Oh, damn, so you finalized your...
Yes, yes.
Okay.
Everything's done.
Let's go.
How was it?
Peacefully, perfectly.
Okay.
Yeah.
Okinawa.
Imagine Okinawa.
That was 12月23日, I stayed there.
Okay.
半袖半ズボン。
Really?
Yeah.
Man, that's great.
Yeah.
Christmas is coming.
You can see the trees.
You can see the lights.
You hear the songs.
Yeah.
And your 半袖半ズボン.
Wow.
And you can wear like little slippers.
Yeah.
And you can go to the beach.
And you can...
That's crazy.
Spend the whole day.
That's crazy.
Yeah.
Yeah.
I was surprised.
Yeah, how did that feel, man?
That was so good, but it felt very strange to me.
Uh-huh.
Because the Christmas should be...
Right.
White.
Right, absolutely.
It's totally different from my image of Christmas.
Like what the correct format is for Christmas, right?
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
You have to wear coats.
Right.
And gloves.
Right.
So it must be very different for Okinawan people.
True.
You know, for them to the Christmas day.
True.
To the majority of them.
Yeah.
You know, like all the Christmas songs, they talk about, you know, snow.
Yeah.
You know, how we have light breath.
Right.
You know, that's...
Outside is very cold, but inside is very warm.
Yeah.
You drink hot chocolate.
I know.
Cinnamon, honey, whatever.
Shit, that's true.
No.
They drink very cold mojito.
Oh, yeah.
Like, you know, the blue tropical cocktail with some fruits on top of the glass.
Oh, yeah.
Oh, yeah.
Orion beer.
Oh, shit.
Yeah.
On a Christmas day.
Yeah, it's so different.
Yeah.
It must be so different.
That was very interesting to me.
That's true.
To know how they live, how they, you know...
Okay, I see.
Yeah.
I went to the...
The bath.
Yeah.
Sento.
Okay.
And with the band member.
And there were, like, local driver-san.
And we talked about that to the driver-san.
Oh, yeah.
And we went to the sento, and it was good, kind of.
Yeah.
And he said, like,
Sento?
Okay.
Oh, is that special?
And I'm like, yeah.
He told me that Okinawan people never go to sento or sauna.
Okay.
Because it's too hot already.
Oh, like, why would you want to do it?
Yeah.
And then, like,
We were like, okay.
The culture was so different.
Oh, okay.
It was very, very, very interesting.
Wow.
Yeah.
I mean, I guess the sauna place is there, so there must be some sort of demand.
Yeah, but they had...
We had only two choices, which was very far.
Oh, so there were many.
Yeah, like, very less saunas and sentos if you compare to Tokyo.
Right.
And we were like,
And we kind of, oh, that's the reason.
I see.
And the main reason, the bigger reason for...
Well, I don't know.
This is what the driver told me.
So I don't know the exact, the real reason.
But he said, so Okinawan people, they don't have reason to go hot place, first of all.
So if they go to onsen or hot springs or sauna, they have a specific reason.
Okay.
Which is to meet like gay friends.
What?
At the sauna place.
So it's like a meeting place.
Yeah, for them.
For gay people.
Right, right, right.
Yeah.
And we were kind of, oh, that's why.
I kind of understand it.
Okay.
Because when I got inside, I felt something like a little weird as an atmosphere.
Okay.
So interesting.
Yeah.
Yeah.
It's difficult to explain, but they kind of look at you, kind of, basically.
Okay.
Yeah.
And as we didn't know that there was a place.
The culture was there.
Yeah.
So we were like chilling.
Why are these people looking at me?
Yeah.
Yeah, like, oh, kind of like that.
But then they're like, kind of like that.
Okay.
What do you mean?
What do you mean?
They looked at you again?
No, I mean, they don't look at you straight forward.
They're just kind of checking you out.
Yeah.
Yeah, that was that.
So you felt that there were like, I don't know, like maybe we're missing something.
銭湯の特殊な雰囲気
Yeah, kind of like, do I do something wrong?
Yeah, yeah.
I felt I didn't fit the place, kind of.
Yeah.
But, you know, it's just a bath at the same time.
So I just did usually.
Yeah.
Did everything as usual.
Okay.
And just got out and returned.
Okay.
And on the way to the returning way, the driver explained that place.
And also the sauna that we went to was very famous for meeting place.
Oh, wow.
Okay, I see.
And we said,
あそこに行ったんですよ。
And the driver was like,
ああ、それは有名なところなんですよ。
And we were like, oh, I didn't know that.
I see.
That's why.
I see.
So no one approached you specifically?
No.
No one took action exactly?
No.
Oh.
No one.
What?
Well, I mean, I don't know.
They could be doing something, you know.
I don't know.
They could approach you.
It could be something, you know.
Right, right, right, right.
But we were kind of a group.
Yeah.
We were talking.
We were spending time with the group.
So it was actually harder for them to approach you, you know.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
And also, it's not like that opened.
What do you mean?
It's like they're not, it's different from, it's different from like a Ginza Koridougai.
It's not like, hey, hey man.
It's not, it's not something like that.
They just.
Okay.
I guess, I don't know.
They have like eye contacts.
And then like, basically, silently they just meet and disappears to the city, I guess.
That's true, true.
It's different from.
They gotta go somewhere.
Yeah, it's different from like a club or like in a bar vibe.
I see.
It's not like they're going to spark up a conversation.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
I see.
They just, yeah, it was a little special place, special kind of.
Okay.
Atmosphere.
When you look at, when you look back at the people that were there, do you think from
the features that they have, you think they have gay features?
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
It's like you knew.
Yeah.
Now I, we were kind of like, oh.
I see.
That's why.
I see.
Like we were like that.
I see.
So the moment when I got inside, I thought, first of all, like, wow, they're like, so
many of them like very.
Muscular.
Muscular.
Muscular.
Okay.
But I saw it's like a Okinawan culture.
Oh, okay.
Like Okinawan guys are like very trained.
Sure.
You know, I don't know, like the beach, ocean guys.
Yeah.
With the higes and everything.
Oh, the higes, yeah.
Yeah, yeah.
I thought, wow.
Yeah.
We talked about that.
Like Okinawan people are so manly.
Okay.
Yeah.
But yeah, that was.
Okay.
Yeah.
Wow.
That was a special experience.
Oh, wow.
性的アイデンティティの探求
Yeah.
I mean, when we were at our circles, I think you and I.
Yeah.
One of the ones.
One of the.
One of the.
Yeah.
Especially you.
Well.
I'm not going to get into it too much.
Yeah.
But there was this one gay person.
Yeah.
And then like.
Yeah, we like him though.
Yeah, of course.
Yeah.
Of course.
Well, you just told the whole story there.
But like, yeah.
He had a crush on you.
He had a crush on you.
How did you respond to that?
I mean.
Did he ever approach you in any way?
Like he gave you messages or something?
What kind of messages did he give you?
I mean, it's just as, you know, the girl's texture.
For example, like, hey, like, for example, like, I don't know.
Like, hey, are you free Sunday or something like that?
Yeah.
Try to take you out to dinner or something.
But he knows that I'm not a gay person.
Yeah.
So he was like, he was kind of like half no way, but still.
But I know I'm not.
He knew I'm not that type of guy.
So he was like, he was very.
Okay.
Like an indoor.
He was very.
I don't know.
Like.
Like, I'm sorry.
Yeah.
Sexualities don't meet.
But maybe you could be gay.
I'm trying to like, you want to try?
Yeah.
Yeah.
Did you ever go eat dinner with him?
Okay.
I see.
Because I don't have that.
You're just so confident that you are gay.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Maybe I should have tried once.
But maybe you should try.
Maybe.
I don't know.
銭湯での経験
Yeah.
I see.
Yeah.
I see.
But I had respect for him.
So as a person.
Right.
Yeah.
Yeah.
As a senpai.
As a senpai.
As a person.
Yeah.
And as he was like, he wasn't a gay person.
Yeah.
Yeah.
But I had respect for him as a person.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
I understand.
Yeah.
But as I understand now, I have respect for him as a senpai.
Yeah.
As a senpai.
Yeah.
As a senpai.
Yeah.
And as he was like, he wasn't a joke.
Yeah.
He was like, serious.
Yeah, of course.
So...
I mean, I could see that he was kind of having a hard time opening up.
Yeah, yeah.
You know, back then it wasn't as much of an LGBT community vibe as right now, right?
So...
Right.
Yeah, I understand.
Mm.
Right.
And also he was kind of serious to me.
So it wasn't like some kind of joke and just, hey, so I am, I wanted to, you know, response
like honest with honest stance.
Like I didn't want to like play, you know, you know what I mean?
Yeah.
You don't want to, you want to take him serious.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
You know, contact him with respect.
Yeah.
Like that conversation of like, hey, I know what's going on here.
I don't have that same sexuality as you.
So yeah.
Well, I didn't say that straightforward, but I, you know, yeah, I see.
So yeah.
Okay.
Right.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Okay.
I see.
But yeah.
He, um, no, yeah, I shouldn't talk.
I shouldn't.
Okay.
Because people that knows us knows who we're talking to.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Right.
So, well, you know, it's not something I talk with like a joke.
Jokey.
Right.
Right.
It's a, it's a, yeah.
Yeah.
Absolutely.
Yeah.
So absolutely.
Yeah.
Yeah.
I think to that feeling, um, but I couldn't like a response to that, to that feeling.
So.
Yeah.
Absolutely.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
I got you, man.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Right.
So yeah.
Wow.
What an experience.
Yeah.
What an experience.
Right.
Right.
But I've been taught that, um, at a, at a, at a onsen, if you wear some sort of a bracelet
on your ankle, I think it was, uh, yeah, I think it was some sort of bracelet on your
ankle.
No, no, no.
The keys.
Oh.
You know how those like the locker keys, those locker keys with stretchable little ring attached
to it.
Yeah.
You know, you have to carry that around during the onsen.
A lot of people put it on their arm, wrist.
Right.
But if you put it on your ankle, that's a sign that you're looking for a gay.
Shit.
Is that what I heard?
Yeah.
Is what I heard.
Is what I heard.
And that's what I did.
Shit.
Really?
You, you do that?
Yeah.
You do that?
Yeah.
I do that.
Is it?
Well, that's, I mean, this is an information that I heard when I was a college student.
So it was like years ago.
So I don't know if it's still alive, but that's what I heard.
But that's what I did.
Shit.
So you went to...
That's what I've been doing.
Oh.
I saw some cool guys when I was, I don't know, a boy.
I saw some, you know, when you go to onsens and everywhere, you carry that little thing.
And some cool, I don't know, daigakusei or like cool guys put that on their ankle.
And I saw that as cool.
And since then, I've been doing that.
Okay.
Have you been, so you've been to a lot of onsens in, not Okinawa, but all the other places,
right?
Have you been, have you had looks from people?
I don't, I don't think so.
You don't think so?
Okay.
So, not Okinawa, but when I was in Kyoto, I happenedly went to that, one of those places.
One of those, okay.
That was sauna too.
Yeah.
I didn't know that, but I just showed up and same vibe.
I just felt like, oh, it's...
Okay.
Yeah.
It's kind of...
Why are people looking at me?
Yeah.
Yeah.
And after that, I heard to the local people that that was the famous meeting place.
Okay.
And...
So, you're like aggressively giving people signs.
Oh, no.
So, it's partly your fault too.
True.
That, you know, that people are looking at you, I guess.
If that culture still exists, right?
銭湯の魅力
Yeah.
It's not good.
Yeah.
It's like you're sexually appealing to...
Exactly.
Right?
And then just say like, no, maybe not.
I'm not looking for that.
Yeah.
Oh, that's not good.
Oh, I didn't know that.
I didn't know that.
Yeah.
Okay.
Yeah.
I see.
I don't know though.
I don't know if it still exists.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
But I will put it in my...
Maybe.
Yeah.
That's better.
Maybe.
Yeah.
Oh, thank you for the information.
Yeah.
I'm glad I got to share with you.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Thank you.
Thanks for listening, guys.
Bye-bye.
Bye.
Bye.
Bye.
Bye.
