Reijo

Reijo [熱些; れいじょ] is the standard name given to hot springs in Kanton. As a volcanically active country, Kanton has hundreds of reijo. However, they are most commonly found near mountains, especially dormant or active volcanoes, and in the northern and eastern regions.
Reijo come in many types and forms, including outdoor [ureijo] and indoor [bureijo]. Baths may be run either publically by a municipality or privately, often as part of a hotel or yoto. Bathhouses which feature reijo are known as reishinda. The presence of a reijo is often indicated on signs and maps by the symbol ♨ or the word れい. Traditionally, reijo were located outdoors, although many inns have now built indoor bathing facilities as well. Nowadays, as most households have their own bath, the number of traditional public baths has decreased, but the number of tourists visiting hot spring resorts has doubled in recent years.
== Terminology ==
The standard word reijo is used in all parts of Kanton, but different regions also have their own terms for the hot spring. In the north, reijō with an elongated /o:/ is more common, and appears in the names of almost every hot spring resort. In the central belt, the word shizuke is more common, although reijo is used more frequently nowadays. In the south, the term is reishi.
== Public bathing ==
Traditionally, reishinda establishments allowed all adults to bathe together, regardless of gender, but children under the age of 12 were given their own separate space. This originated from the belief that young children were susceptible to adult 'uncleanliness' which could easily infect them during bathing and make them mature too early, or learn things they didn't understand too soon. Nowadays, this notion is of course not taken seriously; however, childrens' areas still exist in public bathhouses. Since the 1800s, gender separation has been enforced in reishinda, although the tradition of mixed bathing has persisted in rural areas. Some inns or bathhouses may offer 'women-only' or 'children-only' hours.
Historically, bathing was always done naked, but nowadays it is prohibited and considered public indecency. Men cover their genitals with a small towel or lioncloth while out of the water, while women usually wear two towels, one around their chest and other around their hips. While in the bath, people wear swimsuits known as joki.
Until the outlawing of prostitution in 1708, reishinda (and indeed, regular shinku) were commonly used as places of solicitation by prostitutes. The women would identify themselves by tying a strip of white cloth around their ankle, or sometimes their wrist. If a customer wanted her attention, he would pull on the piece of cloth; if the girl accepted him, they would then arrange to meet later in a more private setting.