Bringing a normal towel is boring. Bring the right vibe.
When you head to the baths, keep in mind the distinct personalities of Division 4.
The Denji Experience: Go in with zero expectations and come out amazed. Denji approaches hot springs with pure, unadulterated joy. For the full experience, sigh loudly, slump your shoulders, and mutter, "This is the life," as the heat soothes your muscles. Chainsaw Man Hot Spring Travel
The Aki Experience: This is the stoic soak. Sit perfectly still, look up at the stars (or ceiling), and think about your responsibilities. This is the time for quiet reflection. Ideally, you should be smoking a cigarette afterward on the balcony, looking cool and tired.
The Power Experience: (Please do not actually do this in public). In the anime, Power famously dislikes bathing and refuses to wash properly. While we encourage you to stay clean, you can channel her chaotic energy by splashing water at your friends or declaring loudly that you are the Great Power of the Blood Fiend. Bringing a normal towel is boring
Makima does not enter the water. She sits on a wooden stool nearby, fully dressed, smiling. She watches them all like a zookeeper observing animals in a heated enclosure. When Denji laughs, she makes a mental note. When Aki relaxes his shoulders, she files it away.
She asks the innkeeper for a cup of tea. The innkeeper’s hands shake. Makima’s smile never wavers. The Denji Experience: Go in with zero expectations
The hot spring water, which glowed faintly gold from minerals, dims when she approaches. The steam recoils. Even the onsen knows what she is.
If you can't leave the city, you don't need a mountain ryokan. You need a sento (public bathhouse). Visit Koganeyu in Tokyo’s Taito ward. It has a beautiful, classic Fuji-san mural on the tile wall. Stare at that mural and pretend it is the Gun Devil looming in the distance.