Goemon bath; traditional Japanese bath heated from below
A traditional Japanese bathtub, typically made of iron, heated directly by a fire underneath. The bather sits on a floating wooden lid that sinks slightly, keeping them away from the hot bottom. Named after the legendary robber Goemon Ishikawa, who was said to have been boiled alive in a similar cauldron.
Taking a Goemon bath at the inn was a first-time experience for me.
Because the bottom of a Goemon bath is hot, you sit on a wooden slat when bathing.