Tokyo - A Bath with a View

I like to bathe in public. this inclination has so far failed to attract much attention because I live in Japan, where hot-spring hopping is a national obsession and the remarkable benefits of bathing are heralded on a daily basis in the media. While growing up here, I harbored violent objections to displaying my everything to a bunch of naked strangers. Only as an achy, fatigued adult has it begun to sink in: What better way to slow the insane pace of this jam-packed country than with a good, long soak?

If you can't squeeze in a trip to a remote

	STREETWISE
	SUNRISE ADVENTURE Jet-lagged? Head to the Tsukiji Fish Market, the biggest in the world, at dawn to watch fishermen hawking every water-dwelling creature known to man. Explore the outdoor arcade for exquisite kitchen goods and a sushi breakfast. Tokyo Metropolitan Central Wholesale Market, Tsukiji. GLIMPSE OF OLD EDO At Asakusa in historic downtown Tokyo, wander up Nakamise-dori poking through the stalls for souvenirs. Buy your fortune — translated into very bad English — at Sensoji Temple. POWER LUNCH Unlike its New York and London counterparts, Nobu Tokyo doesn't make you wait three months for a table. Plus, it features a delightful midday prix-fixe meal at about $30. 6-10-17 Minamiaoyama, Minato-ku, tel. 03 5467-0022. PEOPLE WATCHING Stroll along Omotesando's wide tree-lined avenue of designer boutiques, where Tokyo fashionistas gather to shop and strut. Hunt for souvenirs at kitschy Oriental Bazaar, Omotesando-dori, tel. 03 3400-3933. GLAMOROUS COCKTAILS Take in wraparound views of Tokyo at the New York Grill on the 52nd floor of the Park Hyatt Hotel. Live jazz and a drool-worthy dessert buffet cap off your evening. New York Grill Park Hyatt, 52nd floor, 3-7-1 Nishi Shinjuku, tel. 03 5323-3458.

mountain spring, you can take the plunge even in the steel-and-glass capital of Tokyo. Like the best public baths, my favorite is a neighborhood secret. Hidden on the seventh floor of a department store building in old Asakusa, Matsuri-yu is frequented by locals who come in the morning and stay all day. That's because it's more a spa than a tub. For starters, each of the many baths boasts different mineral infusions for a variety of benefits. There are Jacuzzis, outdoor baths, aromatherapy saunas, massage rooms, facialists, darkened resting rooms, even a vast tatami-mat eatery complete with sequin-clad balladeer. Bathers lounge all day in pajamas provided by the spa, slipping in and out to take another dip.

The oldest, best-known bath in Tokyo is the Azabu Juban Onsen, a real hot spring spouting from 500 m underground. This is an old-fashioned, no-frills establishment; you get a thin tenugui, or washcloth, upon admittance and nothing else. The locker room is grotty and the bath tiles stained. But aficionados travel from across the country to partake of the brownish waters, whose minerals are said to ease arthritis and other ailments. On weekends, bathers pack the large hall to lounge and eat noodles. Despite the grungy surroundings, it's an authentic taste of true onsen, or hot spring, culture. Besides, you'll notice the waters really do leave your skin baby-soft.

The weirdest public bath I've found in Tokyo is located hard by the railroad in Kabuki-cho, the famous red-light district. I was intrigued by its position when I stumbled upon a mention of the Green Plaza Shinjuku in a magazine, but grew alarmed at the cheesy, basement entrance. I ascended to the 10th floor, and was relieved to find the 24-hr. spa clean and respectable. Moreover, it features a real gem on its roof: the rotenburo, or outdoor bath. There's something gleefully luxurious about floating in a steaming hot bath the size of a small swimming pool, gazing out at the city lights.

For a beer chaser after your bath, there's the Hanezawa Beer Garden in Hiroo. Built on an old estate, the torch-lit outdoor bar is the ideal place to sit and sip an ice-cold brew under the stars. From there it's a quick cab ride to the sleek new Cerulean Tower Tokyu Hotel in Shibuya, one of the city's shopping and restaurant hubs. The hotel features 21st century touches (web-enabled flat-screen TVs) and stunning views as far as Mount Fuji. Did I mention the marble baths?